A missing toddler spent the night alone in the remote Arizona wilderness and walked seven miles through mountain lion territory before being led to safety by a dog, local police have said.
Yavapai County Sheriff’s deputies, in the southwestern US state, received reports of a missing two-year-old boy who was said to have wandered off from his home on Monday.
Despite an extensive search effort including officers and local rangers, authorities were unable to find the child.
Farmer Scottie Dunton.
Pic: Yavapai County Sheriff
That was until, after 16 hours, a farmer around seven miles away said a young child had walked onto his property, escorted by his dog, Buford.
Scottie Dunton said: “I was getting ready to leave, I had heard about the missing child before and when I was driving out the driveway I noticed my dog was sitting down by the entrance.
“I look up and the little kid is standing there with my dog.”
Mr Dunton said Buford, an Anatolian Pyrenees, normally patrols his land and wards off coyotes.
“He just loves kids, so I can’t imagine he would’ve left him alone,” he added.
After calming the young boy down, who police said was wearing a vest and pyjama bottoms, Mr Dunton said the youngster told him how he had “laid up under a tree” overnight before Buford later found him.
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During the overnight search, before the boy was found, a ranger helicopter reported spotting two mountain lions in the territory where the boy was said to have walked.
Similarly, the farmer described it as an area where lions, coyotes and the occasional bear can be found, Sky News’ partner network NBC News reported.