Large Animal Attacks Boy, 5, In N.M.

Unidentified Beast, Possibly A Mountain Lion, Seriously Injures Boy Hiking With Family

(AP)  A large animal attacked a 5-year-old boy while he was hiking with his family in the New Mexico mountains, seriously injuring him with puncture wounds to the head, neck and back, authorities said.

Jose Salazar Jr. was hiking near Sandia Peak east of Albuquerque and had run ahead of his parents on Saturday evening when they heard a scream, Bernalillo County Sheriff Darren White said.

The boy's parents, Jose and Charlotte Salazar, saw the animal emerge from the brush and start dragging their son, White said. The father tried to jump on the animal's back, and it let go of the boy and fled.

The state Game and Fish Department said in a news release Monday that the child and his father identified the animal as a mountain lion from pictures shown to them.

Game and fish spokesman Ross Morgan, however, said dogs trained to track mountain lions picked up no scent in the area Saturday night or Sunday. The dogs were brought in again Monday.

"We're not going to rule out a small bear, cougar and bobcat at this point," Morgan said.

The U.S. Forest Service closed the Balsam Glade trail and campground while the investigation continues. The area is known to have mountain lions, bobcats, bears, coyotes and feral dogs.

The boy was hospitalized in serious condition Saturday, White said. On Monday the Game and Fish Department said the child was in satisfactory condition. A hospital spokeswoman said Monday the family declined to make the boy's condition public.

Attacks by bears and mountain lions on humans are rare. In New Mexico, a mountain lion attacked and killed an 8-year-old boy in 1974 in Espanola. A bear killed a 93-year-old Mora County woman in her home in August 2001.

[timaran]

Nature can be dangerous. When we step out on the trail, we have entered their home. It is wise to keep your guard up as these animals are predators and will naturally do what predators do. If you take proper precautions, you can usually go into the untamed parts of our country without much trouble, but you better be aware of the dangers present wherever you go, even on city streets.

==============

Bingo. The small child had run up ahead of his parents, and was therefore, alone at that moment. Lesson: when in nature, keep young children very close to you.

[guysdigdirt]

Pro-Choice and Pro-Animal and against pea brained right wing morons!
Posted by masterballs2

Makes sense. Lets kill unborn children but protect animals. Typical inbred moron.

[guysdigdirt]

Pro-Choice and Pro-Animal and against pea brained right wing morons!
Posted by masterballs2

Makes sense. Lets kill unborn children but protect animals. Typical inbred moron.

[guysdigdirt]

Pro-Choice and Pro-Animal and against pea brained right wing morons!
Posted by masterballs2

Makes sense. Lets kill unborn children but protect animals. Typical inbred moron.

[guysdigdirt]

As humans encroach on the animals'''''''' territory, this is bound to happen. I have sympathy for the hungry cat.
Posted by sunspro at 03:33 PM : May 19, 2008


I don''''t, there are more than enough house cats and dogs running around for this Big cat to eat without needing to stalk and kill humans. If you really feel sympathy for the cat, then take one of ''''YOUR" children out there and offer it to the cat for a meal. Jerk!!!!!!
Posted by ToolMangler

Well said.

[nwctarea4u]

We should train the mountain lions to work on the border patrol to keep down the hispanic influx, one less Jose in the country

[stupidrules3]

Nature can be dangerous. When we step out on the trail, we have entered their home. It is wise to keep your guard up as these animals are predators and will naturally do what predators do. If you take proper precautions, you can usually go into the untamed parts of our country without much trouble, but you better be aware of the dangers present wherever you go, even on city streets.

[toolmangler-2009]

As humans encroach on the animals'''' territory, this is bound to happen. I have sympathy for the hungry cat.
Posted by sunspro at 03:33 PM : May 19, 2008


I don''t, there are more than enough house cats and dogs running around for this Big cat to eat without needing to stalk and kill humans. If you really feel sympathy for the cat, then take one of ''YOUR" children out there and offer it to the cat for a meal. Jerk!!!!!!

[dnamj]

If you want to lose your kids, let them run out of sight in the wilderness. Predators are happy to oblige.

[mainemade]

Only on the post boards will you see an animal attack on a child turn into a political BS battle!

If all these posters actually VOTE, it''s no wonder why the state of our union is in such chaos!!!

[talkingham]

Well the big Dis-regarder himself has killed houndreds of thousands of women and children directly and indirectly Hughes, but I bet you kiss his ugly feet don''t u.

[maba7]

Seafang:
Those are all local and/or regional names for the same animal.

[displeased]

The problem with this country is people who have no regard for human life but sympathize with the animals. I bet your pro choice too, but save the animals! Get a clue!!!!
Posted by hughesgn

The problem is there are too many people and not enough animals.

[mjvw2]

maybe obama can sit a talk with this animal too

[jboxton]

hughesgn- Yes, I am pro life and I feel worse hearing about animals dying than people. I wish that cat would have got the parents also.

[hughesgn]

The problem with this country is people who have no regard for human life but sympathize with the animals. I bet your pro choice too, but save the animals! Get a clue!!!!

[leftyintexas]

The animal was: A DEMOCRAT

Posted by Poop_Redux at 02:32 PM : May 19, 2008

poop-for-brains, if it were a Democrat, you''d be dead meat by now. Think about it. Only 246 days left! Enjoy them while you can Dead-ender.

[jackp32]

It was a snaggle toothed alien from another planet. Ooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooh my!

[seafang]

You wanna run that "large animal" story by me one more time. Let''s see now; the father jumps on the back of this large animal; but is unable to obtain a good DNA sample, so the identity of the animal remains a mystery.
Some say it was a Mountain lion, other say, no it was a catamount, then some identified it as a cougar; but they were rebuffed by people who though it was more likely to be a puma; based on the fact the guy jumped on its back it sounds more like a panther to me.

The guy needs to attend my wife''s kindergarten class in San Jose; for a start it''s a class full of illegal aliens, most of whom are hispanic, so she teaches them in Spanish and English; which is illegal in California; but then so is being an illegal alien.

Now I''m not saying Jose''s family are not legal; wouldn''t dream of it; but my wife has pictures on her class wall, of every one of those large animal types up there, and grizzlie bears to, so I sure she could teach Jose''s dad how to identify the horse he is riding.

But it does explain the Chupacabra legend. Come to think of it, cows are large animals, and my wife teaches her class of five and six year olds about those too.

[poop_redux]

The animal was: A DEMOCRAT