Condition of 6-year-old boy attacked by mountain lion improves

The condition of a 6-year-old boy who was attacked by a mountain lion in Cupertino, Calif., continued to improve Monday after he suffered cuts and other non-life-threatening injuries, a hospital official said.

The boy’s condition was upgraded from fair to good, according to Joy Alexiou, spokeswoman for the Santa Clara Valley View Medical Center. The boy was attacked as he and his parents were hiking in the open space preserve about 1:15 p.m. Sunday.

His parents were able to fight off the large cat as it started to drag the boy into the brush of an open space preserve adjacent to a winery, authorities said.

The hunt for the mountain lion, which officials plan to euthanize, continued.

California Department of Fish and Wildlife Lt. Patrick Foy told reporters that a U.S. Department of Agriculture tracker found evidence indicating the lion followed the boy and his family to their car as they sought safety.

“That’s indicative of extreme, dangerous behavior,” Foy said.

Armed wardens from the state Fish and Wildlife Department, together with a U.S. Department of Agriculture tracker, slept overnight at the preserve looking for the lion, but to no avail, NBC Bay Area reported.

They planned to deploy hounds to aid with the search on Monday.

Hiking trails in the area, managed by the Midpeninsula Regional Open Space District, remained closed as game wardens work to track lion.

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