A four-year-old was enjoying a hike with family at a popular US national park when a mountain lion suddenly attacked and injured the child.
The family was near Victoria Overlook on Hurricane Ridge at Olympic National Park in Washington state on Sunday when the animal pounced.
National Park Service rangers responded around 3.15pm.
‘According to initial reports, a collared mountain lion bit a child walking with their family on a popular trail,’ stated the park service.
Park staff and paramedics with Clallam County Fire District 2 rushed to the scene and airlifted the child to a nearby trauma center. The child is being treated at a hospital in Seattle, and their condition was not immediately known.
Park officials said they would not be releasing more details on the victim for the time being to protect their privacy.
Right after the attack, rangers started looking for the big cat, with the canine team joining around 5pm that day. Rangers spotted the animal with a tracking collar shortly after the canines were sent out but did not complete the operation.
Park staff found and ‘dispatched the animal’, meaning they killed it, on Monday and stated that there was no threat to the public.
The incident is being investigated.
US Fish and Wildlife Service lists 10 things people can do to stay safe in mountain lion habitats. The agency advises anyone who encounters a cougar to make themselves appear large and throw stones or branches, and never run past one or crouch down.
‘Supervise children, especially outdoors between dusk and dawn,’ states the agency on its website.
‘Educate them about cougars and other wildlife they might encounter.’
The attack happened five days after a small plane crashed in a remote area of Olympic National Park, killing one person and leaving the two others on board injured.
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