Mountain lion murdered is likely 1 that attacked boy.
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) - Wildlife officials in Northern California shot and murdered a mountain lion Wednesday, stating they are virtually certain it is the one that attacked a 6-year-old boy along a hiking trail three days previous .
The 65-pound male mountain lion was shot high in a tree next to the trail in the Silicon Valley city of Cupertino where the boy was attacked and injured , California Department of Fish and Wildlife spokesman Patrick Foy stated . It will take DNA testing to determine if it is the cat the department has been tracking for days.
'I think it's very, very extremely likely, but we can't put a 100 percent stamp on it until we get the DNA,' Foy stated .
Foy stated the department had hoped to trap the mountain lion without having to kill it. But the dogs and search squad trapped it in a tree regarding 70 feet high, where if they had tried to dart and capture it, it would have died in the fall.
'The conditions made it really not a viable option,' Foy stated .
The likelihood that it was the mountain lion they were seeking - it was found 130 yards from the spot where the boy was attacked - made the decision easier, he stated .
'They were so close to the attack site,' Foy stated , adding that the cat had acted aggressively when it was spotted. 'We figured we'd better get it in hand.'
The cat will be taken to Sacramento for DNA testing, and the department will also make a priority of testing it for rabies, Foy stated .
Biologists had set various traps next to the Picchetti Ranch Zinfandel Trail in hopes of capturing the mountain lion, and two search teams had scoured the series of trails seeking it.
Officials stated the wounded boy was released from the hospital on Monday, a day after suffering bite wounds and scratches on his head and neck while hiking with his family and others. His name has not been released.
The boy's father said to investigators his son was regarding 10 feet ahead of the group when the cougar appeared from nowhere and attacked him.
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Associated Press writer Andrew Dalton contributed to this report from Los Angeles.
Posted by Unknown on Thursday, September 11, 2014 - Rating: 4.5
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