Mountain lion attacks 6 year old boy, San Francisco Bay area [View all]

[pnwmom]

Hikers, be alert! (And think about carrying a big stick.)

http://www.sfgate.com/bayarea/article/Mountain-lion-attacks-6-year-old-child-on-trail-5740141.php

Authorities were searching for a mountain lion that attacked a 6-year-old boy on a hiking trail near Cupertino on Sunday afternoon.

Hiking trails were closed after the agency received reports around 1 p.m. that the child was attacked about 2 miles from the Picchetti Winery at 13100 Montebello Road, said Sgt. Kurtis Stenderup, a spokesman for the Santa Clara County Sheriff's Office. The boy, who was not identified, did not have life-threatening injuries.

The boy was attacked "in an aggressive manner," then dragged through brush before family members came to his aid and fought off the mountain lion, said a game warden for the state Department of Fish and Wildlife.

More than 20 deputies, park rangers and officials from the Department of Fish and Wildlife were asking the public to avoid the area as they searched for the animal, Stenderup said.

SNIP