(USA TODAY) - A 6-year-old child suffered moderate injuries when a mountain lion attacked Sunday on a hiking trail in the Santa Cruz Mountains outside of Cupertino, Calif., local officials say.
The Santa Clara County Sheriff's Department reported that the child was was injured while with family on a mid-day hike in an open space preserve area of the county south of San Francisco.
The injuries were not life threatening and described as moderate, sheriff's department Sgt. Kurtis Stenderup said. The child and family were taken to a local hospital, and officials were interviewing them about the encounter, he said.
About 20 deputies and officers with the California Department of Fish and Wildlife were searching the area for the animal. Hiking trails in the area were closed.
Stenderup said the search would end at dark. If it is located, a decision on what to do with the cat will rest with state wildlife officers, he said.
While attacks are rare, mountain lions are known to be present in much of California's wilderness and are sometimes seen in areas where homes and commercial development adjoin wildlands.
Stenderup said this incident took place on a well-traveled trail in an open-space preserve in the Santa Cruz Mountains about two miles from a winery. It was in the area of Stevens Creek Reservoir outside the city of Cupertino, he said.
