Nearly five months after a young boy was hurt in a mountain lion attack, Whiting Ranch Wilderness Park has been closed again — this time until further notice — after a number of recent sightings, Orange County officials announced Friday.
The Lake Forest-area wilderness park was first closed two weeks ago, according to OC Parks. Officials made the decision out of an abundance of caution.
The closure came after a report of a mountain lion exhibiting “bold behavior,” standing its ground and getting within six feet of a hiker, the agency said in a series of tweets.
Until May 29, the popular wilderness park had remained open and busy during coronavirus-related restrictions, though the parking lot was temporarily shut down.
It’s unclear when the park will reopen. Wardens from the California Department of Fish and Wildlife and rangers from OC Parks are investigating and will monitor the situation.
Whiting Ranch Wilderness Park was briefly closed in January after a mountain lion attacked and injured a 3-year-old boy.
The toddler suffered “severe wounds to the neck” and was taken to a hospital and released later that same day. The puma was euthanized.
Mountain lion attacks, however, are generally rare in California, with about 16 recorded in the past 100 years, Fish and Wildlife Capt. Patrick Foy said after the January incident.