COULEE DAM, Wash. -- Authorities are searching for a young cougar that jumped out of the bushes and pounced on a boy in Coulee Dam, Wash. Tuesday evening.

AP

The Department of Fish and Wildlife says cougar encounters are rare.

The 11-year-old boy was playing in a yard with two other children around 8 p.m. when the incident happened. He suffered scratches to his head and face, but was not seriously hurt.

Officials from the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife are now using hounds to track the cougar. A spokesperson tells KREM 2 News the cougar will be shot and killed if it's found.