A 4-year-old kid was attacked by a mountain lion at Olympic National Park on July 20th and airlifted to a Seattle hospital for treatment for their injuries.
The child was hiking with their family near the popular Victoria Overlook area on Hurricane Ridge when the mountain lion attacked. The child was bitten and witnesses say the father intervened and was able to get the child away from the attacking animal.
Park ranger started searching for the mountain lion, which was wearing a tracking collar, immediately after the attack. They were joined by a canine team and were able to locate the mountain lion the following morning and kill it.
The child’s identity has not been released and the extent of their injuries has not been made public. Read Olympic National Park’s full statement on the attack below.
Olympic National Park Official Statement:
On July 20, a four-year-old child was injured by a mountain lion near the Victoria Overlook area on Hurricane Ridge in Olympic National Park. Park staff located and dispatched the animal on July 21. There are no current threats to the public.
Rangers were notified of the attack at around 3:15 p.m. on July 20. According to initial reports, a collared mountain lion bit a child walking with their family on a popular trail.
Clallam 2 Fire-Rescue (Clallam County Fire District 2) paramedics and park staff responded to the incident and transferred the victim via LifeFlight to a Level 1 Trauma Center. The patient is undergoing treatment for their injuries in a Seattle hospital. To protect their privacy, identifying details will not be released at this time.
Rangers began searching for the cougar immediately following the incident. A canine team joined the search at approximately 5 p.m. the same day. Rangers located the cougar shortly after the canine team joined the effort but did not complete the dispatch operation until the following morning.
This incident is under investigation. No additional information or photos are available at this time. Witnesses to the event should call 888-653-0009 or email nps_isb@nps.gov.
Olympic National Park Mountain Lion Safety Guidelines:
Cougar, Mountain Lion, or Puma – Puma concolor
If you see a cougar, you are one of the few to have seen this elusive creature! Do not approach, but face the animal, speak firmly, wave your arms and back away. Cougars, also called mountain lions or pumas, range throughout the Olympics. Seldom seen, cougars are large animals, often over 100 pounds, with long rope-like tails. They are usually reddish-tan to gray-brown with black markings on the face and tail tip.
Report all cougar sightings to a ranger or submit an online wildlife report. The cougar is a potentially dangerous animal, although attacks on humans are rare.
Safety:
- Keep your kids between adults and don’t let them run ahead
- Keep your pets on leash and don’t let them run ahead
- Stay aware of your surroundings
If you see a cougar:
- Do not approach.
- Stop, stay calm and do not turn your back. Do not run.
- Face the animal, stand upright, talk calmly and firmly to the cougar and give it a way to escape if you can.
- Do all you can to appear larger. For example, open your jacket and raise or wave your arms.
- Pick up small children or pets immediately so they won’t panic, flee, or make rapid movements.
- If the cougar becomes more aggressive, become more aggressive toward it. Convince the animal that you are not prey, but a danger to it.
- Fight back if attacked.
