Bad Kitty

Mountain lion attacks boy on Boulder trail
By Kirk Mitchell
Denver Post Staff Writer

Boulder - Members of a 7-year-old boy's family drove off a mountain lion that attacked him on a trail on Flagstaff Mountain late Saturday.

The boy, who was not identified, was walking last in a single file of eight family members and friends near the Crown Rock trailhead about 6 p.m. when his father turned and saw the lion on him.

The lion seized the child by the head and dragged him toward the woods, family members told Jason Blumen, a supervisor with Pridemark Paramedic Services, at Boulder Community Hospital.

They shouted and struck the lion with rocks and sticks, said Tyler Baskfield, a spokesman for the state Division of Wildlife. "They did everything possible to defend the boy from the lion," Baskfield said. "You've got to fight back with everything you have if you're attacked by a mountain lion."

Authorities said the boy had injuries consistent with a mountain lion attack including claw marks on his leg and puncture wounds on his jaw and head.

"The family showed unbelievable courage and bravery," said Blumen. "It was the family that ultimately scared the animal away, and I am 100 percent sure that they saved his life."

Blumen said the boy, who was later transferred from the Boulder hospital to Children's Hospital in Denver, is doing "remarkably well." Family members, who declined interviews, issued a statement saying he was in stable condition. The family's home town was not available.

Dean Paschall, division manager of visitor environmental services for the city of Boulder, which owns the popular recreation area, said the boy suffered facial lacerations and bite marks on one leg.

"This is something that is extremely unusual," Paschall said. "The mountain lions here are very accustomed to human beings. They don't look at humans as their natural food source."

Claire Solohub of the Division of Wildlife said traps were being set and baited with road kill to catch the lion. Search dogs and officers with guns and flashlights were combing the area. "Whenever you have wild animals and people living together, we can't always control what happens," Solohub said.

Baskfield said the cougar, if found, would be killed in the interest of safety because it's possible it would strike again.

"The mountain lion may have been confused and thought the boy was prey because of his size," he added.

Baskfield said authorities are considering restricting access to trails on Flagstaff Mountain until the mountain lion is found.

Boulder resident Chuck Corwin, who frequently hikes in the area, said he has never seen a mountain lion there, but the animals have had so much interaction with people that they're not afraid of them.

"It's going to happen every once in a while unless you kill every mountain lion in the state," Corwin said of Saturday's attack.

Although cougar attacks are rare, mountain lions have killed people in Colorado - three in the past 15 years.

There are an estimated 5,000 big cats in Colorado. Males can grow to more than 8 feet long from nose to tail and weigh up to 150 pounds.