Child attacked by mountain lion that wandered into California neighbourhood
Global News
Mountain lion attacks on humans are rare. Since 1890, there have been six known fatal human attacks by mountain lions in California.
An 11-year-old girl is recovering in hospital after being attacked by a mountain lion in California over the weekend.
According to NBC Los Angeles, the child was bitten on Sunday at about 5:40 p.m. outside a home in the Pacific Coast Highway and Encinal Canyon Road area of Malibu.
Los Angeles County sheriff’s deputies told the outlet that the girl was bitten on the arm and transported to a hospital in Thousand Oaks with non-life-threatening injuries.
Wildlife experts later put down the mountain lion they believed was responsible for the attack, it added.
The Mountain Lion Foundation estimates that about 4,500 mountain lions inhabit vast ranges of landscape across California, and about 40 per cent of the state is considered suitable habitat for the species, the California Department of Fish and Wildlife says.
Mountain lions are a solitary and elusive species that tend to avoid human contact and are also referred to as cougars, panthers and pumas.
The department receives hundreds of mountain lion sighting reports every year, but few result in the animals posing an imminent threat to public safety, it told NBC Los Angeles.
Mountain lion attacks on humans are also rare. Since 1890, there have been six known fatal human attacks by mountain lions in California.
