Boy, 8 years old, bitten on the head by a mountain lion in the wild attack garden

A boy was seriously injured in the head after a mountain lion attacked him while he was playing in his backyard.

The beast rushed towards the child as he jumped on a trampoline outside his home near Denver on Wednesday night.

According to Colorado police, the boy's brother ran in and alerted their father.

A spokesman for the force said, "The father rushed out and found the mountain lion above his son. The mountain lion let go of the child as the father approached and left for the race.

He added, "We can confirm that there is a mountain lion attack on a young boy.

"Wildlife officers are looking for the stage. A dog team was also used to try to hunt down the mountain lion after the attack.

"Efforts are underway to locate the mountain lion."

The Colorado Rangers later stated that two mountain lions had been killed after being spotted a mile away from the boy's attack.

Officials believe that one of the lions was involved in the attack based on the description of the beast by the father.

Tests will be conducted on the mountain lions to determine if they were involved in the attacks on the boy and a flock of goats nearby.

Since 1990, 22 mountain lion attacks have occurred in Colorado, wildlife officials said.

It is understood that three of the attacks resulted in the death of the victims.

This year there have been three attacks, the most recent being on August 10th.