The hunt for a cougar that mauled an 18-month-old boy on Vancouver Island, B.C., continued on Wednesday as dozens of people, including conservation officers, searched for the animal.
A spokesperson for Parks Canada, Renee Wissink, said snares have been set up in the Pacific Rim National Park after Monday's attack and that the search area has focused mainly in the second-growth forest and the thick underbrush around the lake.
He said if the animal isn't trapped, the area may be closed for the Labour Day long weekend and the rest of the season.
He added that any cougar sighted in the area will be destroyed.
On Monday, an 18-month-old child was airlifted to a Vancouver hospital after he was mauled at about 6 p.m. in a popular beach area 16 kilometres from Ucluelet.
The boy's condition was initially listed as critical but was later upgraded to serious, CTV British Columbia reported Tuesday evening.
Officials have not released details of the boy's injuries but said that the family did everything right as the cougar approached suddenly from the bush and lunged at the child.
"When the attack occurred, they stood their ground, they made a lot of noise, they frightened the cat off right away so the contact was very, very brief," Wissink said.
The child's name has not been released but the family released a statement through the provincial officials that thanked crews for their assistance.
With files from The Canadian Press
