Friday, a mountain lion in Colorado attacked a 5-year-old boy who was playing in his front yard with his older brother.
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Pitkin County Sheriff’s Deputy Michael Buglione said the mother told police she grabbed one of the mountain lion’s paws and reached inside its mouth to pry its fangs off the boy’s head.
She mother ran outside when she heard screaming; the boy’s face, head and neck were injured. He was taken to an Aspen area hospital and the boy was conscious and alert. Though she received a few minor injuries to her legs and hands, none of the injuries were serious, and her efforts and quick thinking saved her son’s life.
Officers with Colorado Parks and Wildlife and the federal wildlife authorities are tracking a second lion and will kill the animal when they find it.
It proceeds to advise people to “throw stones” if the lion behaves aggressively and “fight back” if a lion attacks.
The child remains hospitalized, though doctors say he is in fair condition.
The lion that attacked the 5-year-old boy was thought to be approximately 2-years-old, which would make it relatively young.
In other words, there’s really no need to assume this attack, however unfortunate, is the beginning of a terrifying pattern of mountain lion behavior.
Although mountain lions are common in Colorado, sightings are said to be rare.
The last known lion attack on a human in Colorado occurred in July 2015, wildlife officials said. A young lion attacked a man as he fished north of Dotsero, about 60 miles from where Friday’s attack occurred.
The lion in that incident, described as a small, yearling male, was tracked and killed. Witnesses reported seeing two lions in the area before the attack.
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Parks and Wildlife officials are on scene to examine the dead mountain lion and continue their investigation. On Saturday, a hospital spokeswoman told the Times she was not authorized to release any details on his condition.
