May 19, 2008 5:31 am US/Pacific
Apparent Mountain Lion Mauls 5-Year-Old In N.M.
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) ―
A large animal attacked a 5-year-old boy hiking with his family, seriously injuring him with puncture wounds to the head, neck and back, authorities said.
The boy, Jose Salazar Jr., was hiking near Sandia Peak and had run ahead of his parents on Saturday evening when they heard a scream, Bernalillo County Sheriff Darren White said.
The boy's parents, Jose and Charlotte Salazar, saw the animal emerge from the brush and start dragging away their son, White said. The father tried to jump on the animal's back, and it let go of the boy and fled.
White said Sunday that the animal was a mountain lion, but Ross Morgan, a spokesman for the state Department of Game and Fish, said dogs trained to track mountain lions picked up no scent in the area Saturday night or Sunday.
The sheriff's report said the father could not say what type of animal attacked the child because it happened so fast.
Jose was hospitalized in serious condition Saturday, White said. A hospital spokeswoman said Monday the family declined to make the boy's condition public.
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