POWAY, Calif. (KGTV) -- The Blue Sky Ecological Reserve will reopen Saturday after it temporarily closed when a four-year-old was attacked by a mountain lion, according to The California Department of Fish and Wildlife.
The department received a call around 2:40 p.m. Friday about a child with scratches on his back and thigh.
Park officials say a family was on a hike when the incident occurred.
"The child was with a lot of family members which is a good thing and it sounds like the family separated into two groups and the child may have been darting back and forth," Fish and Wildlife Public Information Officer Tim Daly said that could have made him vulnerable to the attack.
The City of Poway notified the department of fish and wildlife.
He was taken to the hospital, Daly said, to collect evidence in hopes of finding the mountain lion who attacked him.
Daly said more than 50% of California is mountain lion habitat, adding it's important not to leave out pet food and keep pets and children close while outdoors in mountain lion territory.
