A mountain lion bit a four-year-old child on Sunday while the child hiked with family on Hurricane Ridge in Washington state’s Olympic national park, authorities said.
The child’s father reportedly saved the minor’s life by pulling the child from the creature’s jaws.
The harrowing – though rare – encounter occurred at about 3.15pm, according to a National Park Service statement. Early reports indicated that a collared cougar attacked the child while on a well-traveled trail.
Park rangers later tracked and euthanized the animal the next morning, according to officials.
Emergency crews from the Clallam county fire district – who responded to the attack alongside park personnel – airlifted the injured child to a trauma center in Seattle.
Park officials said the father may have saved his child’s life by quickly intervening in the attack on a heavily used trail known for its expansive views. Witnesses who spoke to a local news outlet commended the man’s bravery.
Hiker Steve Murrow, who was on the same trail that day, told the Seattle television station KIRO: “I don’t think that kid would survive if it wasn’t for his dad jumping in.
“I mean, he’s a hero. You know, it just boils down to safety in numbers and it is rare that something like this would happen.”
Murrow recalled realizing what was happening after hearing the “screaming of a small child”. He and his father-in-law, Mike Flenniken, told KIRO that they arrived to find the child’s mother holding the child, who was surrounded by people offering help.
They were then told the father pulled the child away from the attacking lion.
The Harborview medical center listed the child’s condition as satisfactory, and facility officials said the minor had since been discharged, KIRO reported.
The cougar involved had been wearing a GPS collar, and the attack site was near a scenic lookout known as Victoria Overlook on Hurricane Ridge.
Officials said there was no ongoing danger to visitors at the park. They did not release information about the child’s identity, citing privacy concerns.
Mountain lion attacks on humans remain extremely uncommon in North America. The Mountain Lion Foundation says less than one such attack has occurred annually since 1868.
Experts say these animals generally avoid humans, though sightings and encounters have slightly increased since conservation policies ended bounty hunting and allowed cougar populations to rebound.
Only two people have died from mountain lion attacks in Washington state in the past century, and just about 20 other cases have resulted in injuries, according to the state’s department of fish and wildlife.
Nonetheless, when such cases do occur, they generate significant media attention. In March 2024, a group of women in Washington wrestled their friend out of the jaws of a cougar after the animal encountered and attacked them while they were on a biking trip, resulting in national news coverage.
This article by Marina Dunbar was first published by The Guardian on 22 July 2025. Lead Image: Kathleen Reeder Wildlife Photography/Getty.
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