A 4-year-old child was attacked by a mountain lion at a national park in Washington state, officials said.
The incident occurred Sunday afternoon in Olympic National Park, near the Victoria Overlook area on Hurricane Ridge, according to the National Park Service.
The child was bitten by the mountain lion while walking with their family on a “popular trail,” park officials said.
Paramedics and park staff responded and transferred the victim via an air ambulance to a Seattle hospital, where the child is undergoing treatment, park officials said Monday. No additional details on the child have been released to protect their privacy, park officials said.
Hurricane Ridge in Olympic National Park in Washington.
NPS Photo / C. Bubar
Following the attack, park rangers immediately began searching for the collared cougar, which was located and dispatched Monday morning, park officials said.
“There are no current threats to the public,” the National Park Service said in a press release on Monday.
The incident remains under investigation. Witnesses to the attack are urged to contact the parks service at 888-653-0009 or email nps_isb@nps.gov.
According to the National Park Service, cougars are typically elusive and attacks on humans are rare.
