And here is a warning sign at the entrance to the Chisos Mountains. Beautiful place.
Posted on 02/07/2012 3:20:34 PM PST by jazusamo
Big Bend National Park - What started as a family vacation quickly took a turn for the worst after a six-year-old boy is attacked by a mountain lion in Big Bend National Park.
"We weren’t on a trail or down in the woods we were on a sidewalk between the restaurant and hotel," explains Rivers Hobbs’ father, Jason.
The Hobbs family drove in from Austin, hoping to enjoy the outdoors in Big Bend National Park. But their vacation was cut short.
"It snuck up on me," claims 6-year-old Rivers.
“It” was a mountain lion, sneaking up on Rivers just feet from the Chisos Mountain Lodge where they were staying.
"It had a hold of his face...the cat was clamped on his face. I reached down and got my knife out and stabbed the cat in the chest and it let go at that point," Jason says.
The family immediately took action but they claims the lodge did just the opposite
"I heard them say right in front of me that they were not going to tell the other people at the lodge that there was an attack and the lion is still at large," says Rivers’ mom, Kristi Harris.
Despite the gruesome stitches from his surgery, Rivers claims he didn't cry once.
"Did it hurt?" we asked him. "No… not that bad,” he replies.
"Were lucky he’s walking away with scars and it didn't get him by the neck," Jason says.
David Elkowitz with the Big Bend National Park tells CBS 7 this was actually the second attack of the day in the same area.
Elkowitz said the mountain lion tried to attack another family but was fended off by a backpack.
Both families say the mountain lion looked "small, young and in bad shape."
Park rangers began evacuating trails and campsites early today.
Closed areas include the Chisos Basin, Window Trail, The Pinnacles, Boulder Meadow and Juniper Flats.
My grand kids and I have been followed a few times (prints in the mud) but you never see them till they want you to.
A friend of mine was bow hunting in Idaho some years back moving slow. He said he didn’t actually hear anything just had an eerie feeling and looked behind him to see a cougar some 8 or 10 yards away stalking him.
Fortunately he had a sidearm and fired a round that that spooked the cat.
Poor kid is going to have to undergo post rabies exposure vaccinations also.
I was stalked by two lions, a female and her nearly full grown cub a few years back. They came within seven feet of me when I scared them away by slamming a metal dumpster lid down very hard. I stay armed now.
That is what gets you, you never see them till its to late. You need to walk tall and keep your kids close in M lion country. I never let my grand kids run “up ahead” when we are out walking. The cats are just doing what they do it’s up to us to make sure they do not have the opportunity.
Yes he is. I don’t know if they’re as bad as they used to be, do you?
Thanks to Inyo-Mono for pointing me to this thread
Wow, can’t believe people weren’t warned after the first attack.
Agreed Girl, that just blows me away.
Can't wait for barry’s “health committee” to kick in!
I’ll bet his parents are glad they allow their 6 year old to carry a knife.....
Lucky it wasn’t a school zone or the kid would have to be arrested.
I like the kind of lion attacks you saw in “Second Hand Lions” (which I watched on TV earlier this week).
I’ll bet his parents are glad they allow their 6 year old to carry a knife.....
Lucky it wasn’t a school zone or the kid would have to be arrested.
It was the Dad, Jason, that was carrying the knife and stabbed the cat but they may just let their boy carry a knife when outdoors from now on.
“Second Hand Lions” was one the the better movies made in the last decade. I thought it was great and that attack was fabulous. :-)
First time I ever *really* saw the Milky-way was out in the Big Bend. Beautiful country! The only critter we saw was a raccoon that visited the camp each night and got his fill of crackers and Lone Star.
I was only at Big Bend once and that was many years ago but have been out in the middle of nowhere many many of times, there’s nothing else that compares to it in my view.
Hell, the raccoon wasn’t coming for the crackers, he was coming back for the Lone Star. LOL!
Up by the lodge? Holy Guacamole!
Been in that park many times, but that area up there in The Basin is the most heavily trafficked part of the mountains. I could kinda understand big kitties back in the mountains away from everybody, but that is the main campground.
Scary.
And here is a warning sign at the entrance to the Chisos Mountains. Beautiful place.
The sheer perfidy of ParcPersons is astounding. Rather than admit a child had been attacked at the lodge, those ParcPersons were going to NOT INFORM the public about a clear and present danger to human health and safety.
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