Six-Year-Old Survives Mountain Lion Attack In California Park

A six-year-old girl only suffered minor injuries when a mountain lion attacked her on Sunday in Northern California.

The attack happened in Santa Clara County at the Rancho San Antonio County Park and Open Space Preserve.

According to the released statement from Midpeninsula Regional Open Space District on Sunday afternoon, the park will be closed until investigations are done and the park certified as safe to reopen.

The Rancho San Antonio County Park is a famous destination and borders Los Altos with parts of the eastern region found in Western Cupertino.

The Open Space Preserve and the County Park cover an area of appropriately 3988 and 289 acres, respectively.

The 6-year-old was with her parents, other children, and adults on Sunday morning on a trail about two miles away from the central park, according to Ranger Brad Pennington.

When the mountain lion assaulted the child, one of the adults pushed the animal away from the girl.

The girl 's identity is yet to be revealed, but she was treated at the scene for minor injuries.

Park rangers and wildlife authorities in the area launched investigations to determine the cause of the attack.

In the Santa Cruz Mountain region, there is a thriving ecosystem for mountain lions.

Also referred to as pumas, or panthers, mountain lions have tawny yellow fur sometimes with patches of silver and red.

Scientists do not necessarily consider mountain lions as big cats, but they are known to take down large prey, including deer, elk, sheep, and other big mammals.

The mountain lion is known for its ability to adapt to a large variety of environments.

Mountain lion and human interactions are usually not that common of an occurrence as the animal generally tends to avoid humans.

They avoid areas where there are loud noises, as their interactions with people have taught them to stay away. Cougars do occassionally attack livestock first and will only attack humans hen cornered.

The mountain lion lives most of its life as a solitary creature.

The Midpeninsula Regional Open Space District officials released a statement saying such an encounter where the animal attacked the girl unprovoked is rare.

The animal will, in all likelihood, be put down, considering it has learned to attack people.

There was a recent incident where three mountain lions were found feeding on a body in an Arizona nature trail. They were put down though investigations are still ongoing concerning the man's cause of death.