A seven-year-old boy is in hospital with severe cuts to his head and shoulder from a cougar attack while on a camping trip on Vancouver Island Wednesday night, RCMP said.

The cougar mauled the boy near Sproat Lake, just northwest of Port Alberni, shortly after 8 p.m.

The boy is expected to recover.

His father was able to scare the cat away.

Conservation officers went to the area Thursday morning and shot the cougar they believe to be responsible for the attack, Port Alberni RCMP Const. Tracey Corner said.

Cougar attacks happen from time to time in the province.

Last August, an 18-month-old boy was seriously injured by a cougar in Vancouver Island's Pacific Rim National Park.