Mountain Lion attacks little boy at Malibu Creek State Park
LOS ANGELES - A 4-year-old boy is recovering after being attacked by a mountain lion at Malibu State Creek Park.
The attack occurred just before 4:30 p.m. Sunday in the Tapia Park section of the state park, according to the California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW).
According to the department, families from Woodland Hills were having a picnic when the father of one of the boys heard him scream. Witnesses say the father ran to see a cougar with its jaws around the boy's head, and proceeded to strike the animal until it let go of the boy.
The mountain lion then climbed up a tree, and remained there until responding Wildlife officials arrived and euthanized it.
The boy was airlifted to Northridge hospital with significant but non-life threatening injuries. He was released from the hospital Monday morning.
"These are always difficult situations," explained Korinna Domingo, the founder and director of the Cougar Conservancy. They are not directly involved with the case, but have become a valuable resource whenever humans and mountain lions cross paths.
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In the last 38 years, there have been 26 verified reports of people injured by cougars, with four of those being fatal. But even as statistics indicate, cougar and human interactions are rare, "those are real numbers," Domingo said, "and necessitate that people be equipped with tools and knowledge."
The Cougar Conservancy website has resources for people who visit or live near wildlife areas to reduce the chances of dangerous interactions. Some things seem to be common sense, like not wearing earphones and listening to music while hiking. Awareness is key they say.
Keeping a blowhorn or even bear spray handy may be very useful. If you opt for bear spray, though, make sure you familiarize yourself with its use and practice with water-filled bear spray cans that some sellers provide. It's not uncommon for someone to end up spraying themselves or others, incapacitating themselves, instead of the animals they are trying to scare.
Per protocol, wildlife officers collected evidence samples from the bite and scratch wounds and the victim’s clothing. The evidence samples were confirmed as a DNA match by CDFW’s Wildlife Forensic Lab in Sacramento, officials said.
The boy's family wishes to remain private at this point. Other hikers FOX 11 spoke with say they are being more cautious, but will not stop coming to the park.
The investigation is being handled by California State Parks.