Mountain lion attacks young boy in Colorado, wildlife officials say
A child was attacked by a mountain lion in Colorado on Wednesday night, wildlife officials said.
The attack occurred in the Burland subdivision of Bailey, a small town nestled in the foothills of a mountain range about 35 miles southwest of Denver.
The young boy, whose name and age have not been released, was transported to a nearby hospital, according to Colorado Parks and Wildlife, which is investigating the attack.
Wildlife officers and the dog team from USDA Wildlife Services were in the vicinity of the attack site and received a call from a landowner who was missing a goat and had just seen two mountain lions.
The officers responded to the call, which was within a mile of the original attack site. Upon arrival, they found two mountain lions that fit the description of the lion from the attack.
The mountain lions were euthanized, officials said, noting they believe one of these two mountain lions was responsible for the attack on Wednesday night based on the proximity and fitting the description of the lion.
A necropsy will take place and results sent to a forensic lab in Wyoming for DNA analysis, which will confirm with certainty if one of the two mountain lions was responsible for the attack.
Bailey residents have been asked to keep their pets indoors in the meantime, according to Colorado Parks and Wildlife.
ABC News' Clayton Sandell contributed to this report.
