11-year-old mountain lion bites people in Malibu, chasing her mother and siblings
A mountain lion bit an 11-year-old girl outside her home in Malibu on Sunday, then continued to chase her mother and siblings before being killed by authorities, according to state wildlife officials.
The girl is doing housework near a chicken coop on the 32500 block of the Pacific Coast Highway, according to Peter Tira, a spokesman for the California Department of Fish and Wildlife.
Tira said it attacked her from behind, knocking her into her stomach and biting her right arm, legs and lower back. The girl’s mother was nearby, heard the child’s screams and ran away with a girl’s sibling.
“That’s when the mountain lion continues to chase her mother and siblings,” Tira said.
Tira said one of the family members had a stun gun and the sound of the weapon scared the mountain lion.
According to the Sheriff’s Department, the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s deputies were from Malibu/Lost Hill Station and at about 5:45 p.m., the deputies responded to the attack until California fish and wildlife officials arrived and until California wildlife officials arrived. Wildlife officials discovered and fatally shot the lion hiding on the property.
The wildlife officer picked up the clothes from the girl and compared them to the mountain lion’s DNA to confirm that it was the big cat attacking her. Tira said the material is being processed in the forensic laboratory in Sacramento.
Officials said the Los Angeles County Fire Department also responded to the scene and took the girl to the Los Robles Regional Medical Center, where she was treated for minor injuries. Tira said the mountain lion is a young adult male.
Sunday’s attack was the 27th mountain lion attack that began on humans since 1986, according to the latest fish and wildlife data. Most encounters are non-fatal. The latest fatal attack was in March 2024, when a mountain lion killed a 21-year-old man in El Dorado County.
In September, another adult mountain lion attacked a 5-year-old boy in Malibu Creek State Park. The 53-pound female lion is slightly underweight and seems to be relatively healthy. Officials said at the time that state wildlife officials tracked and killed the lion because it attacked a child and could pose a safety risk to the public.
Last week, a Carson mother also rescued her child from an animal attack, in this case a coyote. The animals began biting people in the local park and dragging a 6-year-old boy. His mother intervened and frightened the coyote.
