Numerous tracks found in hunt for cougar that attacked 6-year-old boy

Game wardens plan to continue their search efforts into the night Monday for a mountain lion that attacked a 6-year-old boy in Cupertino and followed the youngster to his family’s car.

Armed wardens from the California Department Fish and Wildlife, together with a U.S. Department of Agriculture tracker, briefly suspended their efforts Monday afternoon when their search dogs became exhausted after a lengthy hunt.

The hounds did find numerous mountain lion tracks, but none appeared to be fresh, said Lt. Patrick Foy with the Fish and Wildlife Department.

The lion’s tracks indicate it is not a full-grown adult.

Search efforts, however, will resume Monday night and continue Tuesday, when a second tracker and additional search dogs are set to join the hunt.

“The current plan is to kill the lion in the interest of public safety,” he said.

Once the cougar is found and killed, Foy said, forensic evidence will be obtained from its claws and tested for the boy’s DNA. They will also check the mountain lion for rabies.

The boy was released Monday afternoon from a San Jose hospital after receiving treatment for cuts and non-life-threatening injuries he suffered during the attack.

The boy was attacked as he and his parents were hiking about 1:15 p.m. Sunday in an open space preserve adjacent to a winery.

The boy’s parents were able to fight off the lion as it started to drag the boy into the brush, authorities said.

After pulling their son away from the cougar, the boy’s parents returned to their car as the mountain lion continued to follow them, Foy said.

Although the lion’s actions after the attack are “not unheard of,” it did indicate “extremely unusual behavior,” he said.

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