Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFD) personnel are hunting a cougar believed to have attacked a horse in Stevens County.

Department spokeswoman Michelle Dunlop said WDFD personnel responded to a call on July 29 regarding a horse that had sustained severe front leg injuries due to a cougar attack. The horse was euthanized due to its injuries, she said.

The attack took place less than a mile from Camp Gilford, a children's camp on Deer Lake in Stevens County, Dunlop said. The cougar was likely seeking water at lake when it attacked the horse, she added.

“The weather in eastern Washington has been hot and dry, which probably prompted the cougar to come down from a higher elevation to seek water at the lake near the camp,” Dunlop said