A mountain lion attacked an 11-year-old girl on Sunday while she was outside her home in Malibu, California. The girl survived with injuries to her arm, leg, and back. Officials found the mountain lion hiding on the family’s property and fatally shot it.
The LA Times reports that the young girl was near a chicken coop when the cougar leapt on her, knocked her on her stomach, and bit her multiple times. When the girl’s mother heard a commotion, she ran over, along with another one of her children. The mountain lion then chased the newcomers away.
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A spokesperson from the California Department of Fish and Wildlife, Peter Tira, told LA Times that a family member (reportedly, it was the girl’s sister) deployed a stun gun, and the noise scared the lion away. The Los Angeles County Fire Department, along with other agencies, responded to the scene and transported the injured girl to Los Robles Regional Medical Center.
Malibu is mountain-lion territory, and, in fact, last year, a five-year-old boy was bitten in Malibu Creek State Park. When in mountain-lion territory, consider carrying a deterrent spray (marketed as “bear spray”). Bear spray can also be an effective defense against mountain lions, moose, and other large mammals.
See a local news report about the incident here:
Header stock image of mountain lion above Los Angeles by Jason Klassi/Getty Images
Best Bear (and Mountain Lion) Sprays
Learn more about bear sprays here.
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