Five-year-old Jack and his mother were attacked by a puma in San Mateo, California. The boy survived, but he has lacerations on his face and one fracture. His family has created an online fundraiser to raise funds for his treatment.
A puma attacked a mother and child as they were walking near the family farm in Half Moon Bay, California, on Tuesday, January 31. The San Mateo County Sheriff’s Office said on social media later that day that the attack occurred “before 7 p.m. local time.” The California Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife has launched an investigation and hopes to find the cat responsible for the attack.
Patrick Foy, a department official, was quoted by People magazine as saying that wildlife researchers would go to the scene of the attack to look for puma tracks. Foy said the injuries suffered by 5-year-old Jack were not life-threatening, “but they are certainly traumatic”. He added that the probability of being attacked by a cougar is low, but in the event of an encounter, one should “stand upright and shout loudly.” In his opinion, the sound of the whistle can also effectively scare away the animal. “Unfortunately, pumas tend to attack the smallest of the group,” he said. According to Foy, there have been 21 puma attacks in California since 1986, 10 of them on children.
Jack’s aunt, Amie Wagner, set up a fundraiser for the boy’s treatment on GoFundMe. “This cougar messed with the wrong kid and mom,” she wrote in the description of the fundraiser, noting that the 5-year-old is “the most courageous, adventurous little guy” she knows. Wagner hoped to raise 10,000. dollars. On Thursday, February 2, there were already 15.4 thousand on the collection account. dollars.
San Mateo County Sheriff’s Office, People, GoFundMe
Main photo source: Shutterstock