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A seven-year-old boy is recovering after he was attacked by a mountain lion in California. Authorities said that boy was walking up some stairs in Pico Canyon Park when a mountain lion jumped him from behind and bit him in the buttocks.
The boy's father was able to scare the mountain lion away.
The boy suffered non-life-threatening injuries and is expected to make a full recovery.
Officials closed the park as a precaution while they tried to locate the mountain lion. They are attempting to lure it using a deer carcass and will then compare its DNA with samples taken from the boy's bite wound.
If it is a match, they will likely have to euthanize the animal.
"Everything we do in every part of our mission is to better help wildlife and people coexist," Captain Patrick Foy of the California Department of Fish and Wildlife told KABC. "Having a situation like this where wild animals start attacking, especially small children, that's a super difficult part of our job."
Mountain lion attacks are extremely rare as the large cats tend to avoid humans. According to the Los Angeles Times, there have been just 20 recorded attacks in the last 100 years.