The family of a 5-year-old boy who was attacked by a mountain lion said the child is doing better, in a statement released Monday by Children’s Hospital Colorado, where he has been treated.
The lion attacked the boy in the backyard of his home in Pitkin County on Friday night. His mother fought off the cat, prying her son’s head from its mouth.
The child was treated at the Aspen Valley Hospital and transferred to Children’s Hospital in Aurora. His mother was treated and released from Aspen Valley.
Children’s spokeswoman Elizabeth Whitehead said the hospital cannot say if the boy is still being cared for there. The family’s name has not been released, and the family has asked for privacy.
On Friday, the boy’s mother heard screaming while he was playing outside in the front yard with his older brother. The mother ran outside, where she saw the lion on top of her son. She was able to pull the boy away.
Pitkin County sheriff’s Deputy Michael Buglione told The Aspen Times the mom pulled one of the lion’s paws off the boy and when she saw that the animal had the child’s head completely in its mouth, she pried her son’s head from its jaws.
A Pitkin County Sheriff’s deputy and a forest ranger later spotted a mountain lion in the area and contacted Parks and Wildlife officials. Officials all agreed the lion should be shot and killed.
A second mountain lion was spotted about 2 a.m., about 600 yards from where the boy was attacked. That lion also was shot and killed.
For public safety, it is Colorado Parks and Wildlife policy to kill animals that might have been involved in an attack, said Jennifer Churchill, a spokeswoman for the agency.
On Monday night, state wildlife officials said the lion killed Friday night was identified as the lion involved in the attack. The lions were taken to Fort Collins on Saturday for a necropsy.
Both lions are about 7 to 9 months old. Each weighed about 40 pounds and was in good health, according to wildlife officials. Both tested negative for plague and rabies.
“Young lions are sometimes involved in attacks when, for various reasons, they haven’t been taught well by adults to go after appropriate prey,” Churchill said.
