A 5-year-old boy who came to picnic with his family in a park near downtown Los Angeles was attacked by a puma on Sunday, September 1.
This Sunday, September 1, a 5-year-old boy was attacked by a mountain lion in Malibu Creek State Park, California, while he was having a picnic with his family on Labor Day, reports the American daily Los Angeles Times.
The child is safe and sound
Around 4:30 p.m. local time, the family was sitting in the Santa Monica Mountains when the puma suddenly grabbed the little boy and dragged him near the woods.
“The children were playing near the family picnic table when the mountain lion attacked the boy,” the California Department of Fish and Wildlife told the Times.
After rescuing the child, several witnesses reported seeing the animal take refuge in a tree in the park. Alerted, forest rangers and Los Angeles County sheriff’s deputies arrived on the scene. The predator was euthanized as “a danger to public safety.”
The child, whose name has not been released, suffered bites and some scratches. He was flown to Northridge Hospital Medical Center, where he was treated and released Monday.
In May, a 21-year-old American man was killed by a mountain lion while hiking with his 18-year-old brother in the El Dorado National Forest in northern California, ABC News reported. California authorities said it was the first fatal mountain lion attack in the state in 20 years.
