Officials release 911 tapes from wild animal attack

SUSPICIOUS DEATH. WAS IT A MOUNTAIN LION ... A BOBCAT ... OR A BEAR THAT ATTACKED A FIVE-YEAR...  More »

SUSPICIOUS DEATH. WAS IT A MOUNTAIN LION ... A BOBCAT ... OR A BEAR THAT ATTACKED A FIVE-YEAR-OLD BOY IN THE SANDIAS OVER THE WEEKEND? THAT'S STILL THE QUESTION TONIGHT AFTER A DAY-LONG SEARCH TURNED UP NOTHING. TONIGHT -- WE HAVE THE TAPE OF THE 9-1-1 CALLTHE BOY'S PARENTS MADE AFTER THEIR SON WAS MAULED. SHELTON DODSON IS LIVE AT U-N-M HOSPITAL WHERE THE 5 YEAR OLD IS STILL RECOVERING -- SHELTON. WE CAN'T TELL YOU EXACTLY HOW FIVE YEAR OLD JOSE SALAZAR JUNIOR IS DOING. HIS FAMILY HAS ASKED THAT HIS CONDITION NOT BE RELEASED. WHAT HAS BEEN RELEASED, THE 9-1-1 CALL THEY MADE MOMENTS AFTER SOME WILD ANIMAL CAME VERY CLOSE TO KILLING THE BOY: : 'My son was just attacked by a mountain lion or a bobcat.'JOSE SALAZAR SENIOR WASN'T SURE THEN -- AND STILL ISN'T SURE -- JUST WHAT IT WAS THAT POUNCED ON HIS FIVE YEAR OLD SON JOSE JUNIOR WHILE THEY WERE OUT FOR A WALK SATURDAY NEAR SANDIA PEAK. WHATEVER IT WAS WENT AFTER THE BOY'S HEAD AND TORE HIS SCALP AWAY FROM HIS SKULL. TODAY ORVEL FLETCHER --- : 'Unlatch the dogs and they get out and howl' AND HIS DOGS WERE BACK AT IT... LOOKING FOR THE ANIMAL THAT ATTACKED. FLETCHER HAS BEEN TRACKING MOUNTAIN LIONS ALMOST HIS ENTIRE LIFE AND TODAY FOUND CLAW MARKS JUST YARDS FROM WHERE THE LITTLE BOY WAS ATTACKED. : 'I noticed this this morning you see this right here that's more than likely the claw marks of a lion that stepped up here and almost slipped off and grabbed that rock with its claws.'FLETCHER SAYS IT'S POSSIBLE THAT A SMALL BEAR COULD HAVE ALSO LEFT THE MARKS. JOSE'S FATHER DESCRIBED THE ANIMAL AS BEING DARK BROWN AND SAID HE WAS EVEN READY TO TACKLE IT TO SAVE HIS SON. BUT HE MAY HAVE ENDED UP SAVING THE BOY A DIFFERENT WAY -- JUST BY USING THE KNIFE IN HIS POCKET AND THE SHIRT ON HIS BACK. : 'You said his head was bitten?' : 'Yes. A chunk of his scalp was dropping off so I put it back up and tied it down with my shirt. With strips of my shirt.': 'How's the bleeding?': 'He's fine. I think it... it's not... it hasn't soaked through the shirt.' MAYBE ALMOST AS UNBELIEVABLE AS THIS ATTACK IS HOW CALM THE SALAZAR FAMILY REMAINED WHILE ON THE LINE WITH 9-1-1. ESPECIALLY JOSE JUNIOR WHO SAT IN THE FRONT SEAT OF THE FAMILY TRUCK AND WAITED FOR A HELICOPTER TO AIRLIFT HIM TO HELP. REPORTING LIVE FROM U-N-M HOSPITAL... ,  « Less