5-year-old saved by mom after California mountain lion attack

A 5-year-old boy was “viciously attacked” by a mountain lion that pounced on him without any provocation while the child was hiking in California, with his family Tuesday night, officials said.

The boy, who was identified by a relative only as Jack, could have died from his injuries were it not for his mother who carried him to safety from the attack in San Mateo County, the California Department of Fish and Wildlife said.

The incident took place around 6:50 p.m. in the 1000 block of Tunitas Creek Road near Half Moon Bay, where the 5-year-old was enjoying a hike with his mom and grandfather near their farm, KTVU reported.

Fish and Wildlife officials said the mountain lion, which may have been a cub, suddenly appeared and pushed Jack to the ground, where the beast proceeded to maul his face.

The boy’s mother intervened and fought the animal, which ultimately fled.

“That mountain lion picked the wrong kid and mama to mess with,” Jack’s aunt, Amie Wagner, wrote on a GoFundMe page.  

Jack was conscious when he was taken to a trauma center to be treated for puncture wounds and other injuries.

“Jack has many lacerations, especially on his precious face, in addition to a fracture near one eye,” his aunt revealed. “He is covered in cuts, bruises and scratches but his spirit remains intact.”

“I am not surprised that if there was a kid who could wrestle a mountain lion and come out on top, it would be Jack,” she added.

Wagner was asking for donations to help the family with Jack’s medical expenses. She said his parents run a program helping homeless people and underprivileged students on their farm.

Fish and Wildlife investigators will collect DNA samples from Jack’s clothing and attempt to identify the mountain lion that attacked him.

If the animal is tracked down and caught, it will be removed from the wild.

Mountain lion attacks on humans are rare. Around 20 confirmed attacks have occurred in California in more than a century of record-keeping, according to the Department of Fish and Wildlife.

Last September, a 7-year-old boy was bitten by a mountain lion while walking with his father around dusk in a park near Santa Clarita in Southern California. The father scared the animal away, and the child was treated for relatively minor wounds.

With Post wires