Child Mauled by Mountain Lion in Odessa UPDATE 10:00 pm 10/17/11 - KOSA
Child Mauled by Mountain Lion in Odessa UPDATE 10:00 pm 10/17/11 Shannon Murray
CBS 7 Reporter
smurray@cbs7.com
October 17, 2011
Odessa, TX –
UPDATE 10:00 PM
A four year old is mauled by a mountain lion at a home in West Odessa.
The boy is said to have received cuts and puncture wounds, including a bite mark on his face.
But the owner isn't facing any charges.
In Ector County, wild animals are allowed to be kept as a pet since there is no ordinance against it...
The owner of the mountain lion, Amber Michelle Couch, was given a citation for not providing an up to date vaccination record, but she was not charged for the attack.
We are told Couch is related to the young boy and this was all an accident.
"They're not your typical cats that run around here, they're wild by nature. Their instinct is to attack," says Odessa Police Department Spokesperson Sherrie Carruth.
And that's exactly what happened when a mountain lion attacked a 4-year-old Odessa boy.
The cat's name is Ringo...he's considered a pet to the West Odessa family.
"If he's in a cage, not able to move around and he's being well fed, he can get pretty big," describes Carruth.
Which is why Animal Control asked the family to get a bigger cage for Ringo several months ago.
"They wanted the animal placed in a bigger cage with a smaller opening so something like what did happen wouldn't happen...but of course that never took place," Carruth claims.
The family did not want any media attention, even going so far as to put a sign up in their front yard reading "No interviews, no photos and no trespassing." And at one point, even threatening our crews on the scene.
Although they would not talk on camera, they did post several comments on our CBS 7 facebook page.
Sara Couch, who claims to be the boy's Aunt, writes: "The little boy's uncle did everything he could. He hit the mountain lion with an ax, a water hose...nothing would work. No one had a gun so the animal was destroying the little boy up. Finally, my husband punched the cat so hard it knocked him out and got the boy free."
Couch goes on to write that the family was looking for a home for Ringo and a bigger cage was being built for him at the time of the incident.
Animal control has since euthanized the cat and sent his body off to be tested for rabies and other diseases.
"This is a situation that is so unfortunate for the baby and unfortunate for the cat," Carruth says.
The Ector County Sheriff's office says they are still looking into a few things, but for now no charges are being filed.
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a 4 year-old boy is was injured after getting mauled by a mountain lion in West Odessa.
According to the Ector County Sheriff's Department, deputies said the boy received lacerations and puncture wounds, including a bite mark on his face.
Police said the lion was euthanized and will be tested for rabies.
The owner of the mountain lion, Amber Michelle Couch, was given a ticket for not keeping up with the animal's vaccines.
No charges will be filed.
Keep it here on CBS 7 for the latest throughout the day.
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Source: http://news.google.com/news/url?sa=t&fd=R&usg=AFQjCNHkWtdwb2yWkFbCTRfLdNsS-5mWxQ&url=http://www.cbs7kosa.com/news/details.asp?ID=29604
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