BAILEY, Colorado. — An eight-year-old boy got hospitalized after he was bitten by a mountain lion on the head as he ran to a meet a friend, told by a spokesperson for Colorado Parks and Wildlife on Thursday morning.
The incident happened around 7:30 p.m. Wednesday while the boy was playing with his brother. The two boys were playing in their yard when a friend of the eight-year-old boy was calling from a neighboring house, and he ran to visit the friend, CPW says.
Area Wildlife Manager Mark Lamb said, “The kid was running, which probably triggered the lion’s natural response to a prey animal running. We all hope that the boy will be alright, and you hate to see this occur.”
The brother ran inside his home and told there father who hurried outside and found the mountain lion on top of his son. As soon as the father arrived, mountain lion let the boy go, according to CPW.
Immediately, they called 911, and the boy was taken to the hospital.
Wildlife officers were at the residence looking for Mountain lion throughout the night after the attack was responded. The animal will be put down whenever they find it because, according to CPW policy, any wild animal who has attacked a people that results in an injury must be put down.
A trap was set, and a team was searching with three dogs to locate the mountain lion. For two hours, the dog team searched the area but did not pick up a scent trail to track the animal.
Morning update on the mountain lion attack last night in Bailey:
– Occurred around 7:30 pm when the boy was playing outside his home.
– Search for the mountain lion is ongoing; a dog team was brought in to aid in that search. A trap was set.
– Boy remained hospitalized overnight. pic.twitter.com/YnIl22WLpT— CPW NE Region (@CPW_NE) August 22, 2019
Due to this attack and to ensure the safety, Bailey residents have been asked to be vigilant and keep their pets indoors too. Clay has also recorded that the area is a natural habitat for mountain lions.