NEWSLINK: California mountain lion shot dead confirmed as cat that attacked boy

12th September 2014

A mountain lion that was shot out of a tree by California wildlife officers has been confirmed by DNA testing to be the same cat that attacked a 6-year-old boy earlier this week, state officials said on Friday.

Samples of DNA taken from the 74-pound cougar during a necropsy and forensic examination matched saliva left on the boy's shirt following the encounter on Sunday, the California Department of Fish and Wildlife said in a written statement.

Lab tests also determined that the mountain lion was about two years old, healthy and did not have rabies, the department said.

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