Child, 11, bitten by mountain lion outside California home

(KTLA) – Authorities shot and killed a mountain lion after an 11-year-old child was reportedly bitten outside a home in Malibu, California, on Sunday, officials confirmed to KTLA.  

Officials with the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department’s Lost Hills Station said deputies responded shortly after 5:30 p.m. to reports of the incident.  

Early reports suggest that the child may have been feeding chickens on the property when the attack occurred, with officials saying the 11-year-old suffered a bite on the arm. While the extent of the child’s injuries is unknown, the child was rushed to the hospital and is expected to be OK.

A large presence of emergency crews responded to the scene, including officials with the California Department of Fish and Wildlife, who worked to track down the animal and, eventually, shoot and kill it. DNA samples were taken from the child and will be tested against the mountain lion to confirm that the big cat was involved in the attack.

Last year, a 5-year-old boy was attacked by a mountain lion at Malibu Creek State Park at around 4:30 p.m. while picnicking with family members at Tapia Park.

Several children were playing near the family’s picnic site, where at least six adults were present, when the mountain lion attacked the boy, grabbing him by the head and starting to run.

Crowds of people were able to scare the animal away before CDFW officers located the animal and euthanized it.

In early July, a woman hiking the popular Gridley Trail in Ojai found herself in a tense situation when one of the big cats emerged from the bushes and began walking toward her on the trail.

An experienced hiker, Cortney Rasura told KTLA that she knew not to run but instead maintained eye contact with the mountain lion and loudly shouted at it before it eventually turned and ran behind some nearby bushes.  

“I was just so thankful when it ran up the hill,” she said.