Originally published 2021-08-31.
On the morning of 26 August 2021 a mountain lion attacked a five-year-old boy in the front yard of his family's home in Monte Nido, near Calabasas in the Santa Monica Mountains west of Los Angeles. His mother ran outside and struck the animal with her bare hands until it let go. The boy was treated in hospital for wounds to his head, neck and upper body and was expected to recover. A state wildlife officer shot the lion, and DNA tests later confirmed it was the attacker.
The story is both a remarkable act of courage and a useful reminder of how rare these attacks are, and what people who live near wild land can do to stay safe.
What happened in Monte Nido
The attack took place at about 10:45 a.m. on a Thursday. The boy was outside his home when the lion seized him and began dragging him across the lawn. Hearing the commotion, his mother rushed out and hit the animal repeatedly until it released him. He was taken to a Los Angeles hospital with injuries to his head, neck and upper torso, and officials described his condition as stable.
The California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) was clear about who deserved the credit. Its spokesman, Captain Patrick Foy, told reporters the mother had "absolutely saved her son's life". Wildlife experts often note that cougars usually target prey that is alone and small, and that an adult who fights back forcefully can end an attack, which is exactly what she did.
How wildlife officers identified the lion
When a CDFW warden arrived, he found a mountain lion crouched in a corner of the yard, behaving aggressively; the department described it as having its ears back and hissing. Judging by its behaviour and how close it was to the scene, the warden concluded it was almost certainly the animal involved and shot it. It weighed about 65 pounds, and reports described it as young; the age was not officially confirmed.
The department did not rely on that judgement alone. Samples from the dead lion, including human tissue and blood found under its claws, were tested, and the DNA confirmed it was the attacker. Two other lions were in the area. One was tranquilised and tested; its DNA did not match, and it was released unharmed. A third, a female wearing a tracking collar as part of a federal research study and with no history of conflict with people, was left alone and later moved away.
That careful process matters. Mountain lions in the Santa Monica Mountains are few in number, hemmed in by freeways and suburbs, and closely studied. Killing the wrong animal would have meant losing a healthy lion while leaving the real attacker free.
How rare are mountain lion attacks?
Very rare. California is home to thousands of mountain lions, also called cougars or pumas, yet CDFW's list of verified attacks counts only about 30 since 1890, six of them fatal. The Calabasas case appears on that list as a non-fatal attack on a five-year-old boy in Los Angeles County. CDFW says you are roughly 1,000 times more likely to be struck by lightning than attacked by a mountain lion, and that in most past attacks the victim was alone.
A verified attack, in CDFW's definition, is one in which a doctor, a law enforcement officer or department staff confirm that a mountain lion caused the injuries. Sightings, even close ones, are far more common and seldom lead to any danger.
Young lions are thought to be over-represented in conflicts with people. After leaving their mothers, usually at one to two years old, they must find their own territory, often wandering into the edges of towns while they are still inexperienced hunters. Reports that the Calabasas lion was young fit that pattern, though it is only one case.
Living alongside lions in the Santa Monica Mountains
The Santa Monica Mountains are one of the few places in the world where large wild cats live beside a city of millions. The National Park Service has tracked lions there for two decades, and the local population is small and isolated by freeways, which raises the risk of inbreeding and of road deaths. The best-known lion of the region, P-22, famously lived in Griffith Park in the heart of Los Angeles for about a decade.
Because homes, ranches and trails sit right against lion habitat, encounters are an ordinary part of life in places like Monte Nido and Calabasas. Most go unnoticed; lions are shy, mostly active at dawn, dusk and night, and feed mainly on deer.
How to reduce the risk at home and on the trail
CDFW offers practical advice for people in lion country:
- Keep children close. Do not let them play outside unsupervised near brush, and on trails keep them in sight rather than running ahead.
- Avoid going out alone at dawn, dusk or night, when lions are most active.
- Clear dense vegetation near your house and add outdoor lighting so lions cannot approach unseen.
- Discourage deer, the lions' main prey, from feeding in your yard.
- Protect pets and livestock with leashes by day and sturdy, covered shelters at night.
If you do meet a mountain lion, the department's guidance is to stay calm and never approach it, leave it a way to escape, and do not run, crouch or turn your back. Face it, make yourself look bigger, speak loudly, and lift small children onto your shoulders. If a lion does attack, wildlife agencies generally advise fighting back with whatever you have rather than playing dead, which is what this mother did instinctively.
Keeping the story in perspective
It is natural to read a story like this and feel afraid of the hills behind your home. The numbers suggest otherwise: serious attacks remain extraordinarily uncommon, and simple habits such as supervising young children and managing the land around your house make them rarer still.
The Calabasas attack ended well because of a parent's split-second courage and a careful response by wildlife officers. It should not be read as encouragement to approach or handle wild animals. If you see a lion that seems unafraid of people, or one near a school or playground, keep your distance and report it to your local wildlife agency or, in an emergency, call 911.
Sources: ABC7 Los Angeles, 28 August 2021; Mountain Lion Foundation, 28 August 2021; CDFW: verified mountain lion attacks on humans in California; CDFW: Human-Wildlife Conflicts Toolkit, mountain lions; BBC News, August 2021 (original report).
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