An 8-year-old boy’s summer day in the backyard turned into a horrific incident in Bailey, Colorado as a mountain lion unexpectedly attacked him.
What We Know:
- The mountain lion caught him off guard as he was running over to his neighbors’ house where his friend had been calling out to him. He was unaware that the mountain lion was nearby until the mountain lion began to chase after him. It’s likely that the mountain lion was only following its wildlife instincts by chasing after its “prey” who was already running.
- As the boy was being attacked, his brother ran to seek help from their father inside of the home. The mountain lion had already pinned the child down and bit him on the head. Although the attack wasn’t fatal, the boy suffered serious injuries that required immediate medical attention.
- Ultimately, the father was able to scare the mountain lion off once he rushed outside. He then called 911 for emergency help.
- According to Colorado Parks and Wildlife, “Since 1990, there have been 22 mountain lion attacks on humans in Colorado with three of those resulting in a fatality (1991, 1997 and 1999). There have been three attacks this year, but the previous attack before this was in 2016. The last time three attacks occurred within the same year was in 1998.”
- Wildlife officers who responded to the attack were unsuccessful at locating the mountain lion after hours of searching the area. They set multiple traps hoping to capture the animal before it strikes again.
- Because of safety concerns and wildlife policies, we expect that the mountain lion will be euthanized once captured because of the attack on a human.
We’re wishing the young boy a speedy recovery!
