A mountain lion left an 8-year-old boy with serious injuries when the beast attacked the child while he was playing outside his home in Colorado, officials said.

The animal pounced on the boy Wednesday evening while he and his friend were playing on a trampoline in their Bailey neighborhood, according to Colorado Parks and Wildlife.

The boy jumped off the trampoline to run to another home when the lion attacked him by biting him on the head.

“The kid was running and it probably triggered the lion’s natural response to a prey animal running,” said Area Wildlife Manager Mark Lamb.

The boy’s brother heard the commotion and ran to get their father, who went outside to discover the animal on top of his child.

As the father approached the lion let go and ran off. The child was recovering in a hospital.

“We all hope that the child will be alright and you just hate to see this occur,” Lamb said.

Wildlife officers have set a trap and and are trying to locate the lion.