A three-year-old boy was attacked and injured by a mountain lion while walking in a California park with his family.
According to the Orange County Fire Authority, the boy was attacked within the Whiting Ranch Wilderness Park in Lake Forest around 4.15pm on Monday.
Authorities said the boy was walking with five other family members when the mountain lion came out of nowhere and grabbed the child by the neck.
The mammal then dropped the child, grabbed the backpack and jumped up a tree, the the fire authorities said.
First reponders rushed the child to a local hospital where he is said to be in stable condition. The child suffered injuries to his neck as a result of the attack.
Photos of the mountain lion show it standing on a tree branch while holding the backpack in its jaws.
Video also shows the massive cat chomping on the bag while staring down at first responders.
Officials from the Department of Fish and Wildlife ‘gave local law enforcement the approval to euthanize the lion due to the public safety threat’.
