A young boy was mauled by a mountain lion and dragged away by his head as his horrified family watched on.
The boy was playing with a group of children at Malibu Creek State Park in California when the mountain lion approached.
There were approximately 40 other people in the picnic area at Tapia Park when the attack happened.
The animal clamped its jaws around the boy’s head and started dragging him away into the nearby woods. His dad was forced to step in and fight the mountain lion with his bare hands to save his son.
The incident took place at the Tapia Park area
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His aunt told local media: "It was huge. The mountain lion was not scared at all. Somebody screamed the baby’s name, and the dad started running.
"The father grabbed the mountain lion with his hands and he just fought and then the mountain lion let go."
The boy was airlifted to Northridge Hospital Medical Center where his injuries were assessed as non-life-threatening.
He suffered serious cuts and scratches to his face, and his eyes are understood to have been damaged during the attack. The mountain lion was found in the area after the attack and it remained in a tree until State Parks rangers arrived.
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Northridge Hospital Medical Center
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A statement said: "California State Parks (State Parks) rangers and Los Angeles County Sheriff Deputies responded to a report of a mountain lion attack at Malibu Creek State Park on Sunday, September 1, at 4.21pm.
"A family group from Woodland Hills was having a picnic at Malibu Creek State Park, consisting of at least six adults and a few children.
"The children were playing in the immediate vicinity of the family’s picnic table when a mountain lion attacked a five-year-old boy, causing significant but non-life-threatening injuries.
"One or more adults charged at the lion, and it released the boy. Multiple witnesses saw the attack and observed the mountain lion climb up a nearby tree".
The lion was killed by a ranger after it was deemed a danger to the public, the California Department of Fish and Wildlife said.
DNA taken from the mountain lion matched samples taken from the boy’s wounds and clothing, confirming that they had killed the correct animal.