Solstice Canyon in the Santa Monica Mountains Recreation Area reopened this Thursday morning after it was closed Tuesday due to a mountain lion attack. A hiker walking with his small leashed dog encountered the cougar. When the cougar went after the dog, the hiker intervened to protect the animal, and suffered a puncture wound and scratch on his hand. “Just minor injuries,” reported Seth Riley, Wildlife Branch Chief for the US Park Service. “He was able to grab the dog and keep the lion from capturing it.” The dog was uninjured.The hiker was treated at the scene by Park Service rangers. Out of an abundance of caution, and after the sighting of a second young mountain lion, the park was closed while wildlife biologists assessed the situation. They determined the area was safe and no animals were euthanized after the attack.
