Eight-year-old boy fights off mountain lion with a stick
A brave eight-year-old boy has fought off a 29 kilogram mountain lion with just a stick as the wild animal attacked him while he was playing with his brother.
Pike Carlson was playing with his older brother Gage on a trampoline in the US state of Colorado when a friend from a neighbouring house called out to him.
When Pike was running to go visit the friend, the mountain lion attacked and bit the boy on his head, according to Colorado Parks and Wildlife (CPW).
“The kid was running and it probably triggered the lion’s natural response to a prey animal running,” said Area Wildlife Manager Mark Lamb.
Gage then ran inside and told their father what was happening. When Ron Carlson walked outside, he saw the mountain lion on top of his eight-year-old son.
“That parental instinct to protect your child kind of kicks in," Mr Carlson told local news station KUSA.
"It never even entered my head that I was about to tangle with something that could kill me. All you know is you have to do something. It doesn’t matter what happens to you, you’ve got to protect your children.”
Pike, yelling for help, tried to fight off the mountain lion and grabbed a stick to try and poke the animal in the eye.
According to the CPW report, once Mr Carlson approached the lion, it took off.
Since the August 21 attack, Pike has had two surgeries and several stitches.
According to the GoFundMe page set up to help with medical expenses and recovery, Pike suffered “major lacerations to his head, face and neck”.
In an update on August 28, the family revealed Pike’s second surgery was to repair his eye socket.
Since the ordeal, Pike has offered some sound advice: don’t wrestle a mountain lion.
“The mountain lion is a cheater,” Pike told KUSA.
"No one try to wrestle a mountain lion. It is a cheater.”
Following the attack, CPW remained outside the residence overnight, setting up a trap and trying to locate the mountain lion with a team of dogs.
According to CPW, any attack on a human resulting in injury means the animal must be put down, as per policy.
According to CBS4, two one-year-old mountain lions have been euthanised and forensic tests will determine if one of them attacked Pike.
This year, there have been three mountain lion attacks on humans in Colarado – since 1990 there have been a total of 22 attacks.
Travis Kauffman, 31, was attacked by a mountain lion in February while on a jogging trail in Colorado.
He tried to stop the attack by stabbing it with sticks, but eventually killed the cat by stepping on its throat during the struggle.
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