Authorities: Hiker scratched when he pets lion cub

A mountain lion attacked a hiker in Limestone Canyon and Whiting Ranch Wilderness Park early today after he went to pet one of the cougar's three cubs, Orange County authorities said.

The Foothills Ranch area man, whose identity was not immediately available, was taken to a hospital and treated for scratches on his arm, said Orange County Sheriff's Department spokesman Jim Amormino.

"What he did is not an advisable thing to do," Amormino said. "He can consider himself an extremely lucky man."

Signs throughout the park warn that mountain lions live in the foothill wilderness. In 2004, a mountain biker was killed and another severely injured by a cougar in the park. The death of Mark Reynolds, 35, of Foothill Ranch, was the first in Orange County history and the only one statewide since 1994.

Today's attack happened about 8:30 a.m. a mile up the Borrego Trail. The hiker told authorities he came across a female lion and three cubs that he estimated were about 8 weeks old.

"He said they seemed so cute and cuddly and passive," Amormino said.

When he went to pet one of the cubs, the mother lunged at him -- and then ran off.

Sheriff's deputies, park rangers, and state Fish and Game officials are searching for the cougars on foot and by air. The park has been closed for the search, and a nearby elementary school has also been placed on lockdown, meaning that no one is allowed outside.

While mountain lions that have contact with humans "are generally put down," Amormino said he has contacted a San Diego wildlife sanctuary that has agreed to take the lion and her cubs if they can be tranquilized and caught.