A mountain lion is believed to be responsible for the mauling of a 4-year-old boy in San Diego, California, on Memorial Day.
The San Diego Fire-Rescue Department told KGTV that rescuers responded to reports of a child being attacked by a mountain lion around 2:30 p.m. on Monday, in Los Peñasquitos Canyon Preserve.
KGTV reported that the boy's father kicked the cat and threw a rock at it to scare it off.
The boy was taken to Rady Children's Hospital, but the extent of his injuries are not known, according to Fox 5 San Diego.
The preserve is located within the city of San Diego, just a few miles north of downtown, with trails that offer views of a canyon, a creek, and a waterfall. It's surrounded by residential neighborhoods.
Neighbors told multiple local outlets that mountain lions have been sighted in the area recently. One neighbor shared video that showed a mountain lion walking in their yard not too long ago.
The California Department of Fish and Wildlife estimates that between 4,000 and 6,000 mountain lions lived in the state in 1996, the most recent count available. Hunting them is illegal because they are a "specially protected species."
"It is mountain lion country. We're in the city of San Diego but you can still have wildlife in this area, which we do," neighbor Katherine Weadock told Fox 5 San Diego.
A recording at the park on Tuesday said it was closed due to a wildlife issue, according to NBC 7 San Diego.
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