Jeff Mock
Active member
Rabid mountain lion attacks El Mirage boy
Lily Leung
The Arizona Republic
Mar. 10, 2008 12:23 PM
An El Mirage boy celebrating his 10th birthday with his family at an Arizona national forest was attacked by a rabid mountain lion Saturday afternoon.
The boy's uncle shot the animal in time for the boy to escape with only minor scratches on his back.
The victim, Paul John Schalow, and family members who were exposed to the infected lion will start a series of post-exposure rabies shots as a health precaution, said Randy Babb, a biologist with the Arizona Game & Fish Department.
Babb said it was the first recorded incident in his 20-year career at the department in which a rabid mountain lion has attacked a person.
"It's very unusual," Babb said. "You see rabies in mostly rats, foxes, skunks, other species. It's an unusual occurrence when you see rabies in a lion."
Paul and his family told officials they were taking a lunch break after riding their ATVs near Bloody Basin Road and Sheep Bridge. Newton Smith said two of his grandkids, Paul, 10, and Brittany, 9, were playing at a campsite when a mountain lion walked in between them. The four remaining family members stood about 10 feet from the lion.
Smith said the lion scratched Paul on his shoulder, drawing blood. The rabid animal then opened its mouth and put its teeth on Paul's head. The lion finally stepped away from the boy and looked at him while opening his mouth.
Paul's uncle reportedly shot the lion, which was an older female, loaded it in the family's truck and took it to the family's home in El Mirage.
The family then reported the incident to the Arizona Game & Fish Department.
The family could not be reached immediately for comment.
Officials from the wildlife agency went to the family's residence Sunday and took in the carcass for rabies testing. The results were positive, Babb said.
It is very unusual for people to encounter mountain lions, Babb said, because they usually avoid interaction with humans. So, when one wanders toward a family without being provoked, "It's a sure sign that something is wrong with that animal," he said.
It is likely the lion was in the late stages of rabies called the "rage stage," which is characterized by unbalanced walking, frothing of the mouth and attacking for no reason, he said.
Anyone else who came into contact with this lion is urged to get a series of six post-exposure rabies shots that are given over a course of several weeks.
Babb said the family was in the right to shoot the lion, but said it was not proper protocol to transport the animal before calling wildlife officials.
"It should have been reported right away," he said. "That probably would have limited the exposure to the potentially rabid animal."
Officials from the Arizona Game & Fish Department said there are about 3,000 to 4,500 mountain lions in the state. There is no particular concentration of in the area where the attack took place, which is highland area with different species of wildlife.
Wildlife authorities suspect this incident is isolated and caused by a rabid animal attacking the mountain lion in question.
Lily Leung
The Arizona Republic
Mar. 10, 2008 12:23 PM
An El Mirage boy celebrating his 10th birthday with his family at an Arizona national forest was attacked by a rabid mountain lion Saturday afternoon.
The boy's uncle shot the animal in time for the boy to escape with only minor scratches on his back.
The victim, Paul John Schalow, and family members who were exposed to the infected lion will start a series of post-exposure rabies shots as a health precaution, said Randy Babb, a biologist with the Arizona Game & Fish Department.
Babb said it was the first recorded incident in his 20-year career at the department in which a rabid mountain lion has attacked a person.
"It's very unusual," Babb said. "You see rabies in mostly rats, foxes, skunks, other species. It's an unusual occurrence when you see rabies in a lion."
Paul and his family told officials they were taking a lunch break after riding their ATVs near Bloody Basin Road and Sheep Bridge. Newton Smith said two of his grandkids, Paul, 10, and Brittany, 9, were playing at a campsite when a mountain lion walked in between them. The four remaining family members stood about 10 feet from the lion.
Smith said the lion scratched Paul on his shoulder, drawing blood. The rabid animal then opened its mouth and put its teeth on Paul's head. The lion finally stepped away from the boy and looked at him while opening his mouth.
Paul's uncle reportedly shot the lion, which was an older female, loaded it in the family's truck and took it to the family's home in El Mirage.
The family then reported the incident to the Arizona Game & Fish Department.
The family could not be reached immediately for comment.
Officials from the wildlife agency went to the family's residence Sunday and took in the carcass for rabies testing. The results were positive, Babb said.
It is very unusual for people to encounter mountain lions, Babb said, because they usually avoid interaction with humans. So, when one wanders toward a family without being provoked, "It's a sure sign that something is wrong with that animal," he said.
It is likely the lion was in the late stages of rabies called the "rage stage," which is characterized by unbalanced walking, frothing of the mouth and attacking for no reason, he said.
Anyone else who came into contact with this lion is urged to get a series of six post-exposure rabies shots that are given over a course of several weeks.
Babb said the family was in the right to shoot the lion, but said it was not proper protocol to transport the animal before calling wildlife officials.
"It should have been reported right away," he said. "That probably would have limited the exposure to the potentially rabid animal."
Officials from the Arizona Game & Fish Department said there are about 3,000 to 4,500 mountain lions in the state. There is no particular concentration of in the area where the attack took place, which is highland area with different species of wildlife.
Wildlife authorities suspect this incident is isolated and caused by a rabid animal attacking the mountain lion in question.
