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A California dad confronted a mountain lion during a family outing over the weekend after the big cat attacked his five-year-old son and tried to drag him into the woods.
The family was enjoying a picnic around 4.30pm on Sunday at Malibu State Creek Park in Calabasas, the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Office said. The cat then grabbed the boy by the head and started to run. At least six adults were present in the area when the attack happened.
“Somebody screamed the baby’s name, and his dad started running,” one of the boy’s aunts told KTLA. “The father grabbed the mountain lion with his hands, and he just fought, Then the mountain lion let go.”
About 40 people watched the terrifying encounter take place. Witnesses told KTLA that the animal looked unafraid after grabbing the child. Officials later euthanized the mountain lion after determining it was a threat to public safety.
The cats can weigh up to 150 pounds and be up to eight feet long.
Emergency personnel airlifted the child to Northridge Hospital Medical Center for non-life-threatening injuries, the California Department of Fish and Wildlife said.
The boy was released from the hospital but did sustain complications due to an eye injury and returned on Monday.
When officials responded, the mountain lion was crouched up in a tree near the picnic area. Wildlife officials were able to use DNA swabs from the bite marks on the child to match it with the lion’s DNA before euthanizing the animal.
