G
Garrison Hilliard
Guest
LOS ANGELES – A 27-year-old Santa Monica woman lost her right
eye in an attack by a mountain lion and underwent hours of
reconstructive surgery to her face at UCLA Medical Center, authorities
said.
Shannon Parker also suffered deep wounds to her right thigh, officials
with the California Department of Fish and Game said Sunday.
Parker's family has asked UCLA not to release any information on her
condition, said Rachel Shampeau, hospital spokeswoman.
Parker was attacked Saturday after going on a hike with her boyfriend,
Mathias Maciejewski, 28, of Los Angeles, and two other male friends.
She was walking alone to her car about 7 p.m. near Johnsondale, about
15 to 20 miles north of Kernville, when the female lion attacked her,
said Steve Martarano, a spokesman for the fish and game department.
Her friends rallied to Parker after hearing her screams. 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 Sunday.
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
Fish and Game wardens, Martarano said.
Officials will do a necropsy Monday to determine if the animal had
rabies and to find out 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.
http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/state/20040628-0008-ca-lionattack.html
eye in an attack by a mountain lion and underwent hours of
reconstructive surgery to her face at UCLA Medical Center, authorities
said.
Shannon Parker also suffered deep wounds to her right thigh, officials
with the California Department of Fish and Game said Sunday.
Parker's family has asked UCLA not to release any information on her
condition, said Rachel Shampeau, hospital spokeswoman.
Parker was attacked Saturday after going on a hike with her boyfriend,
Mathias Maciejewski, 28, of Los Angeles, and two other male friends.
She was walking alone to her car about 7 p.m. near Johnsondale, about
15 to 20 miles north of Kernville, when the female lion attacked her,
said Steve Martarano, a spokesman for the fish and game department.
Her friends rallied to Parker after hearing her screams. 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 Sunday.
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
Fish and Game wardens, Martarano said.
Officials will do a necropsy Monday to determine if the animal had
rabies and to find out 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.
http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/state/20040628-0008-ca-lionattack.html
