A 4-year-old child is recovering after being attacked by a mountain lion in Washington’s Olympic National Park, officials said.
The National Park Service said rangers were alerted at around 3:15 p.m. Sunday that a child had been attacked by a collared mountain lion near the Victoria Overlook area on Hurricane Ridge. The child was bitten while walking with family on the trail.
Park staff and Clallam County Fire District 2 responded to the scene, and the child was transported by LifeFlight to a Level 1 Trauma Center, park officials said. Harborview Medical Center in Seattle confirmed to KIRO that the child is recovering and has since been released.
Rangers “immediately” began searching for the mountain lion, and a canine team joined the search Sunday evening. With the help of the canines, rangers soon located the mountain lion, but were not able to kill the animal until Monday morning. Park staff said there are “no current threats to the public.”
Steve Murrow, a bystander who was with his family on the same trail that day, told KIRO the child’s father was a “hero” for intervening to halt the attack. Although he did not see the attack, he “heard the screaming of a small child” before coming upon the scene.
“I don’t think that kid would survive if it wasn’t for his dad jumping in,” Murrow told the outlet. “I mean, he’s a hero. You know, it just boils down to safety in numbers and it is rare that something like this would happen.”
Park officials said the incident remains under investigation. Any witnesses to the attack are asked to call 888-653-0009 or email [email protected].
