This boy was very lucky that the Mountain Lion let go of him as quick as it did. His fathers quick reaction probably saved his life.

Running and jogging can provoke a mountain lion attack. These cats even bring down people on mountain bikes. We see a lot of them on the news, in peoples back yards, and fences.

Kittenz gave a lot of correct information on this fascinating creature.

Again I hope Jose Jr. recovers quickly from this unfortunate attack. My heart goes out to little Jose Jr. and his family.

I do hope the boy recovers fully from the attack.

Analysis of the bite and claw marks should tell a lot…

I too hope the young boy heals up well, physically and emotionally.

But as I stated earlier, my wish is for José to fully recover and not end up scarred (inside or outside) by this event.

http://www.krqe.com/Global/story.asp?S=8343914

The good news is that the little boy is up and walking around, out of ICU, and out of immediate danger.

The state Game and Fish Department said in a news release Monday that the child and his father identified the animal as a mountain lion from pictures shown to them.

Game and fish spokesman Ross Morgan, however, said dogs trained to track mountain lions picked up no scent in the area Saturday night or Sunday. The dogs were brought in again Monday.

“We’re not going to rule out a small bear, cougar and bobcat at this point,” Morgan said.

The U.S. Forest Service closed the Balsam Glade trail and campground while the investigation continues. The area is known to have mountain lions, bobcats, bears, coyotes and feral dogs.

This is the link where I found it:http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/24712589/

I still think it’s odd that trained lion dogs did not find lion scent (if the animal was a puma, that is). Usually, big, tough, single-minded hounds are used for lion tracking, and they are VERY enthusiastic trackers. That’s one thing that makes me think this MIGHT not have been a puma attack.

Coyotes also attack from ambush, and coyote attacks on children are on the rise. Of all the predators that it could have been, I think that a puma is most likely, and if not a puma, maybe a coyote. You would think that the father would know either of those animals on sight, because they are both native to New Mexico, but maybe he was too distraught to recognize the type of animal that was trying to drag his son. Another possibility is that it was a very young, inexperienced bear; the description “short, stocky, dark brown” certainly would fit a bear cub. I think a puma or a coyote is more likely though.

I don’t completely rule out a wolverine either, Richard888, because they ranged all through the western mountains within historic times, but they are so rare in the lower 48, and so reclusive, that I think a wolverine is probably the least likely of native predators to consider as a possibility.

The wolverine’s current range extends from northern Europe and Siberia through northern North America into Alaska, Idaho and Montana. Wolverines have been sighted in the Cascade region of Washington and Oregon. Its range once included Arizona, California, Colorado, Idaho, Indiana, Iowa, Maine, Michigan, Minnesota, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Mexico, New York, North and South Dakota, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Utah, Vermont, Wisconsin and Wyoming. The wolverine’s population and range has shrunk due to hunting and habitat loss and fragmentation.

But maybe it was a very young puma, perhaps even a kitten just learning to hunt. Young animals seem to carry less scent than mature ones; possibly that would explain why the dogs didn’t trail it. A puma kitten would appear to be darker and “shorter” than an adult or subadult animal too. And a kitten might be much more easily startled into releasing a child than an adult cat would be. In fact, I think that a full grown puma would be able to actually carry a 5-yr-old child away bodily, rather than dragging the child along as this one is said to have done.

The bite marks should give some indication as to the size of the teeth and the size of the jaws so maybe once those wounds have been fully analyzed the identity of the animal will become clear.

If the animal was indeed a puma kitten, maybe this incident would be enough to convince it that human beings are not easy prey. The article says that the attack occurred along a popular trail. People have to realize that they should never allow children, especially small children, to range ahead or lag behind in wilderness areas. Children’s small size and their behaviors trigger predatory instincts in many predators but especially in cats.

On the other hand, if the area is very popular with the public, the rangers or other officials have a responsibility to try to ensure public safety. At the very least, they need to try to locate the animal responsible for the attack, and take measures to try to prevent future incidents. Possibly the animal could be relocated, or at least tagged so that it can be recognized as a problem animal.

I would hope that the animal, whatever it is, will not be killed, except as a last resort. Public safety has to come first, but the animal should not be destoyed unless all other options fail.