Malibu once again finds itself at the center of wildlife-human interactions, as a child suffered an arm injury from a mountain lion attack. The incident occurred Sunday evening outside a residence on the 32500 block of Pacific Coast Highway, near Encinal Canyon Road, according to the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department. CBS News Los Angeles reported that deputies arrived at the scene around 5:45 p.m. following reports of the attack.
Details surrounding the events leading up to the encounter remain scarce, but the 11-year-old victim was taken to the hospital by her family for treatment. Although specifics about her condition were not disclosed, the child is expected to recover. A mountain lion, believed to be the one involved, was located and euthanized by the California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW), which took DNA samples from the victim to confirm the animal's involvement, as KTLA confirmed.
The Sheriff's Department described the attack as occurring near a residence where early reports suggested the child may have been feeding chickens. Nonetheless, the circumstances that precipitated the animal's aggression and the precise nature of the encounter have not been clarified. This unfortunate event comes in the wake of several other mountain lion sightings and attacks in the area, including an incident last year at Malibu Creek State Park where a 5-year-old boy was assaulted by a mountain lion during a family picnic.
In July, a hiker encountered a mountain lion on the Gridley Trail in Ojai, the woman managed to avoid a confrontation by maintaining eye contact and shouting at the animal, which eventually retreated. "I was just so thankful when it ran up the hill," Cortney Rasura told KTLA about the incident. CDFW is handling the investigation into the most recent incident, said the LASD, with FOX 11 reaching out for further details on the animal's fate and the full extent of the child's injuries.
