Father saves son from mountain lion at Malibu State Creek Park

A California family’s idyllic Labor Day picnic turned into a nightmare when their young son was attacked by a mountain lion — but he was saved when his father shooed the big cat away.

The shocking encounter occurred just before 4:30 p.m. Sunday as the boy’s family was relaxing at the Tapia Day Use Area at Malibu Creek State Park in Calabasas, the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Office said.

According to KTLA5, there were at least six adults and several children at the picnic when the cougar grabbed the five-year-old boy by the head and started running away.

“Someone shouted the child’s name and the father started running away,” the victim’s aunt told media.

“The father grabbed the puma with his hands and just fought. Then the puma let go.”

About 40 people witnessed the terrifying encounter, some of whom told KTLA the cougar didn’t seem scared at all during the attack.

Male pumas can weigh up to 150 pounds and be up to 8 feet long.

The boy was airlifted to Northridge Hospital Medical Center with non-life-threatening injuries, the California Department of Fish and Wildlife said.

The patient was released from the hospital Sunday evening, but returned to the hospital on Monday due to complications related to eye injuries, KTLA reported.

When California State Park rangers and CDFW officers arrived at the scene of the attack, the cougar was crouched in a tree near the picnic area.

The animal was deemed a threat to public safety and was euthanized by a ranger, CDFW said.

Wildlife officers also collected evidence of an attack from the boy’s injuries, including DNA swabs from bite marks that were consistent with those of a mountain lion.

“CDFW and State Park officials are grateful that the family is safe, the child is recovering, and no one else was injured,” CDFW said in a statement.