A massive search is underway for a mountain lion that attacked a 6-year-old boy in Northern California and began dragging him away before his father fought the animal off on Sunday, the Associated Press reported. The victim is recovering at Santa Clara Valley Medical Center, where he was listed in fair condition, hospital spokeswoman Joy Alexiou said.
The attack against the boy, who has not been identified, occurred about 1:15 p.m. as he walked through the Picchetti Ranch Open Space Preserve adjacent to a winery in the Silicon Valley city of Cupertino, according to Lt. Patrick Foy of the state Department of Fish and Wildlife.
On Sunday, the boy, among a group of 10 - comprised of his parents, two more parents and other children - was about 10 feet ahead of the group when a mountain lion "came out of nowhere" and attacked the boy, Foy said.
After grabbing the boy, the lion began dragging him away before the child's father and another male adult in the group shouted and acted aggressively toward the mountain lion to scare it away, Foy said.
"The father told us that the mountain lion came out of nowhere and attacked the boy," Foy said. "A 6-year-old child in no way can defend himself against a mountain lion. He was very lucky he was with his parents."
"The man came down the trail carrying his son," park visitor Shawn Ardaiz told KTVU. "It looked like he had a laceration on his neck and was bleeding pretty heavily all over."
The youngster suffered bite wounds and scratches to his head and neck following the attack. "It's quite extraordinary the lion would attack a person with so many people in the immediate vicinity," Foy said, adding that the mountain lion attacked in the same way it would at a group of deer by targeting the easiest prey, which would be the smallest member of the group, Los Angeles Times reported.
While tracks have been found and dogs have picked up on the scent of the cat, there has still not been a visual sighting of the animal, UK MailOnline reported.
Authorities closed all hiking trails in the area, managed by the Midpeninsula Regional Open Space District, and looked for the mountain lion before calling of the search at Sunday nightfall. They plan to deploy dogs on the trail Monday to track the animal.
If DNA samples from the lion's saliva on the boy's torn clothing match any animal captured, it will be killed "in the interest of public safety," he said.
Meanwhile, the public has been warned by the Santa Clara County Sheriff's Department to avoid the area since half of California is mountain lion habitat. "Foy said anyone encountering a mountain lion or other wild animal should stand tall, wave their arms, shout aggressively and fight back if attacked. Other tips are included in the department's campaign to minimize conflicts between humans and wild animals," according to LA Times.
There have been 13 verified mountain lion attacks in California between 1986 and 2013 resulting in three fatalities, according to the Fish and Wildlife agency's website. The youngest victim ever attacked was a five-year-old girl in Caspers Wilderness Park in 1986, but she escaped.
