A 27-year-old Santa Monica woman who was attacked by a mountain lion while hiking in central California was transferred to UCLA Medical Center on Sunday, officials said.
Tracking Mountain Lions
Shannon Parker suffered deep lacerations to her right thigh and injuries to both eyes during the attack Saturday, officials with the California Department of Fish and Game said. Parker lost her right eye and underwent reconstructive surgery Sunday morning, said Lt. Nathaniel Arnold of the Fish and Game department.
Parker's family has asked UCLA not to release any information on her condition, said Rachel Shampeau, hospital spokeswoman. Parker was initially taken to Kern Medical Center in Bakersfield.
Parker was hiking with her boyfriend, Mathias Maciejewski, 28, of Los Angeles, and two other male friends about 7 p.m. near Johnsondale, about 15 to 20 miles north of Kernville, when the female lion attacked her, said Steve Martarano, another spokesman for the Department of Fish and Game. Maciejewski stabbed the lion with a knife and Jason Quirino, 30, of Los Angeles, and Ben Aaron Marsh, 15, of Los Angeles, threw rocks at the animal until it ran off, Martarano said.
"A male witness grabbed a knife and stabbed the mountain lion twice in the right shoulder," said Brian Naslund of the California Department of Fish and Game. "They were able to get the victim to a safe location and get here out to the road for ambulance transport."
The lion, which weighed about 70 pounds, left a bloody trail as it fled and was later shot and killed by U.S. Forest Service officers and wardens from the Fish and Game department, Martarano said.
Officials will do a necropsy Monday to rule out rabies and determine whether the animal was otherwise sick or injured, Martarano said. Officials could have results as early as Tuesday, he said.
A 2002 wildfire in the area could have hampered the lion's ability to find enough food, he said.
"The lion appeared to be emaciated," Martarano said. "Before the fire, [the area] was considered moderate to good mountain lion and deer habitat. The fire changed everything" he said, but added that the area had recently started to revive.
Martarano said the incident was the 15th mountain lion attack on a human in California since 1890.
In January, a mountain lion mauled two people in separate attacks at an Orange County wilderness park. Bike rider Mark Reynolds, 35, was killed and Anne Hjelle, 30, was rescued by her cycling partner, who held onto her legs, and other mountain bikers who threw rocks at it. Hjelle was hospitalized for weeks and likely will require several surgeries in the years ahead.
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