Mountain Lion That Injured Young Boy In SoCal Euthanized

3-Year-Old Boy Attacked by Mountain Lion at Wilderness Park in #LakeForest; Lion Killed https://t.co/F4fwGdyBhN via @ktla

— Carlos Saucedo (@Carlos_Saucedo) January 21, 2020

A 3-year-old male was attacked by a mountain lion within Whiting Ranch around 4:15 this afternoon. The child is in stable condition at a local hospital. Dept of Fish and Wildlife gave local law enforcement the approval to euthanize the lion due to the public safety threat.

— OCFA PIO (@OCFA_PIO) January 21, 2020

Here’s more from KTLA: 

The young victim was hospitalized in stable condition following the attack, which was reported just after 4:15 p.m. at the park, which is along Glenn Ranch Road, according to Orange County Fire Authority Capt. Tony Bommarito.

The lion grabbed the child by the neck during the attack, Bommarito said. Authorities evacuated the park as they sought the lion, which was seen on a tree with a backpack in its mouth.

Responding deputies were told that after the mountain lion grabbed the child, the father threw a backpack at it and it let go of the child, Orange County Sheriff’s Department spokeswoman Carrie Braun said.