BAILEY — A mountain lion injured an 8-year-old boy outside his Colorado home, prompting wildlife officials to hunt the lion with search dogs and a trap.
Colorado Parks and Wildlife spokesman Jason Clay said in a news release that the boy was bitten on the head about 7:30 p.m. Wednesday in a subdivision near Bailey, southwest of Denver.
The boy was hospitalized, but the severity of his injuries was not made public.
It was the third attack in Colorado this year.
Last week, a mountain lion attacked a hunter northeast of Kremmling who fought it off with a pocket knife.
On Feb. 4, a mountain lion attacked a runner who choked and bludgeoned it to death at Horsetooth Mountain Open Space west of Fort Collins.
According to Colorado parks and Wildlife, two boys near Bailey were playing on a trampoline when the 8-year-old ran to a neighbor’s house to visit a friend. The mountain lion attacked him while he ran.
The brother alerted their father, who found the mountain lion on top of his son. The lion dropped the boy and fled, CPW said.
“The kid was running, and it probably triggered the lions natural response to a prey animal running,” said area wildlife manager Mark Lamb.
Since 1990, 22 people have been attacked – three fatally, in 1991, 1997 and 1999. This year, three attacks have been reported, the most in one year since 1998, CPW said.
A male trail runner was attacked On Another man was attacked Aug. 10.
The Associated Press contributed to this article.