LEWISTON, Idaho (AP) -- Officials with the Idaho Department of Fish and Game say a horse was attacked by a cougar just outside the north-central Idaho town of Lewiston.

Conservation officer Mark Hill says the department has issued a kill permit for the cougar and a hunter is trying to track the big cat.

The 8-year-old bay mare named Dyna was pastured just outside the city limits when it was attacked on Sunday. The animal, which is owned by Lewiston resident Bret Christensen, sustained a severe shoulder injury and is being treated at a local veterinary clinic.

Christensen says children frequently play in the same pasture, and he fears that if a cougar will attack a horse, it won't hesitate to attack a child.

Copyright 2012 The AP.