A California father was forced to confront a mountain lion to rescue his five-year-old son. The animal attacked the boy during a family outing to Malibu State Creek Park in Calabasas, grabbing him by the head and attempting to pull him into the woods. One of the child’s aunts told reporters that his father caught the lion and “just fought” until the animal let him go. Around 40 people witnessed the incident, with many stating that the lion looked untroubled by the encounter but was nevertheless later killed by officials who deemed it a threat to public safety.
Emergency first responders airlifted the wounded boy to Northridge Hospital Medical Center, but according to the California Department of Fish and Wildlife, his injuries were not life-threatening. He was later released with minor damage to his eye. Officials said they made sure the animal that was euthanized was the same one that attacked the boy by employing DNA testing.
There was some public anger at the decision to kill the animal, however, particularly given its dwindling numbers in the Golden State. A January report revealed that the mountain lion population in California is between 3,000 and 4,000 – far lower than previously estimated. Justin Dellinger, leader of the California Mountain Lion Project effort, said the animal has disappeared from the Central Valley and portions of the Mojave Desert and that previous estimates were based on a “back of an envelope calculation.” He added that the primary reason for the mountain lion’s demise is human activity.
Some local residents lashed out at the decision to kill the lion, saying the land belongs to the animal and humans had intruded on their space. “That’s what happens when we are in their territory!” one woman said. Another stated that people “destroy everything like a plague” to make room for yet more people.
Patrick Foy, a spokesperson for the California Department of Fish and Wildlife, insisted, however, that the decision was correct. He said the primary concern was that the lion would fatally attack another child. Nevertheless, Foy conceded that the ultimate problem was human intrusion into lion habitat.
