Mountain lion attacks 5-year-old at Southern California park and is euthanized

MALIBU, California — A mountain lion attacked a 5-year-old boy at a popular Southern California park over the long weekend. State park rangers later euthanized the big cat, officials said Tuesday.

The child was attacked Sunday afternoon while playing at his family’s picnic table in Malibu Creek State Park, west of Los Angeles, according to a statement from the California Department of Fish and Wildlife.

“One or more adults attacked the lion and released the cub,” the statement said. “Multiple witnesses saw the attack and saw the cougar climb a nearby tree.”

The child was taken by helicopter to a hospital with injuries that were serious but not life-threatening, the statement said. He was released Monday.

The cougar remained in the tree until state park rangers arrived and determined it was a threat to the public. The animal was euthanized at gunpoint, officials said.

Mountain lions rarely attack people. About 20 attacks have been confirmed in California in more than a century of record-keeping, the Fish and Wildlife Department said earlier this year.

In March, two adult brothers were attacked, one fatally, by a cougar in northern california tried to chase the puma away when they realized it was following them, and then fought the animal after it was attacked.

In September 2023, a 7-year-old boy was bitten by a mountain lion while walking with his father at sunset in a park near Santa Clarita, north of Los Angeles. The father chased the animal away, and the child was treated for relatively minor injuries.