BOISE, Idaho — A 10-year-old Idaho boy who came face-to-face with a mountain lion in rural Boise County escaped with minor scratches — and concerns that his friends at school wouldn’t believe his story.
The Idaho Department of Fish and Game said Friday the mountain lion was tracked down and killed after the encounter late Thursday. The boy, whose family asked not to be identified, received first aid at home for minor scratches and was expected to get a tetanus shot Friday.
“His biggest concern was that his schoolmates wouldn’t believe him, which is kind of funny,” said Matt O’Connell, a senior conservation officer.
The boy came across the mountain lion while searching for a missing hunting dog with his father near their home in a rural subdivision about 15 miles to 20 miles northeast of Boise. The boy ran from the predator but stumbled and fell. The mountain lion took a swipe, scratching the boy’s arm and hand.
The child yelled to his father and stood up, pulling out a hunting knife, which made the predator back down and gave the dad enough time to fire off several shots from his handgun to scare the lion away, O’Connell said.
The mountain lion, which was estimated to be about 18 months old, was later found feeding on the carcass of the family’s missing hunting dog, O’Connell said.
