Mountain Lion that attacked boy at Malibu Creek was described as famished

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Malibu Creek State Park. Photo by Samantha Bravo.

A necropsy performed on the mountain lion that attacked a young boy at Malibu Creek State Park over Labor Day weekend revealed it was also very young and very hungry. The animal, identified as a female lion, only roughly a year old, was underweight by a few pounds. It weighed just under 53 pounds. The necropsy also revealed the cat had an empty stomach. It pounced on the five-year-old boy who was playing with other children at a picnic area well attended with other adults. It was the boy’s father who was able to wrestle the young mountain lion off of his son whose head was gripped in the animal’s jaws.  The youngster was airlifted to  Northridge Medical Center with injuries to his face and eyes. He has since been released. The animal was shot by park rangers who arrived quickly on the scene to find the cat had retreated up a tree. Â