Mountain Lion Drags 4-Year-Old Girl From Campsite In Idaho
A 4-year-old little girl is recovering after a mountain lion tried to drag her away from her family’s Idaho campsite on Friday night.
According to East Idaho News, the girl was on a camping trip with her mother, siblings, and cousins on Friday, August 12, at a campsite near Green Canyon Hot Springs, which is located in Newdale, Idaho, east of Rexburg. Jim Sevy, the girl’s grandfather, said her mother thought she saw a large cat out of the corner of her eye while they were eating dinner together, but didn’t think much about it.
After the mother got her daughter down for a nap, she proceeded to take her 6-year-old out into the woods to use the restroom. They had only stepped away from the campsite for a moment when they heard the young girl’s screams of terror.
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According to Levy, the girl got out of the tent to look for her shoe, and that is when the mountain lion spotted her and proceeded to grab her in an attempt to carry her away. Luckily, her mother made it back to the campsite in time to see what was happening and took off after the mountain lion, who then dropped the 4-year-old onto the ground.
Following the horrifying incident, the family packed up and traveled to the Eastern Idaho Regional Medical Center to have the girl looked over. While there, she was treated for minor cuts and scratches. She also suffered several bite marks from the mountain lion on her stomach and arms.
‘When lions do attack, records indicate that small children are often the targets’, said Gregg Losinski, a… https://t.co/GW5EAb089z
— Salome Bolkvadze (@SallyBolqvadze) August 14, 2016
“She is getting rabies shots and injections in her puncture wounds,” Sevy said. “She should be okay.”
Levy added that the family was able to return to their campsite to finish their camping trip. This time, however, they will be keeping their eyes open for predators in the area.
“It could have gone the other way so easily,” Sevy said. “She could have been gone and we would have never seen her. You really have to keep your eyes open when you’re out camping.”
Andrew Sorensen, the Idaho Fish and Game Senior Conservation Officer, sought out the help of local hound hunter Mike Pimentel to track the mountain lion. On Saturday, August 13, at approximately 2:00 p.m., the hounds treed the female mountain lion. Once the cat was treed, the Madison County Sheriff deputies responded to the area and euthanized the animal. They also alerted the other campers in the area about the incident.
#mountain lion packs off 4 year old girl. I’m glad this turned out the way it did! https://t.co/CtZSL2OBb4
— Logan Probst (@Logan_Probst) August 13, 2016
Gregg Losinski, an Idaho Fish and Game spokesman, said no one has ever been killed by a mountain lion in Idaho, and attacks rarely include children.
“When lions do attack, records indicate that small children are often the targets,” Losinski said in a press release. “This family showed how vigilance and quick thinking can help avert a tragedy.”
Losinski added, “This family showed how vigilance and quick thinking can help avert a tragedy.”
[Photo via Shutterstock]
