The incident happened around 5:40 p.m. Sunday near Pacific Coast Highway and Encinal Canyon Road, according to the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department.
The girl was reportedly feeding chickens when she was attacked from behind by the animal. She suffered injuries to her arms, leg and lower back. Family members took her to the hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.
After the attack, the California Department of Fish and Wildlife found a mountain lion behind the home and euthanized it. DNA tests will confirm if it's the same mountain lion that attacked the girl.
Though experts say such attacks are rare, some residents are still fearful of potential encounters. People hiking in Charmlee Wilderness Park, not far from the scene of the attack, were very concerned.
6-year-old boy attacked by coyote during sister's softball game in Carson
"I heard a kid got hurt, it's terrible, definitely something that we get concerned about," said Yann Dacquay, as he finished a hike with his 4 and 5-year-old sons. "I just hope whoever was involved in this attack is doing ok and recovering. We do live with nature and trying to coexist is important. Unfortunately, these things are going to happen, but together we raise education and awareness for it, and, I think, in the end the benefits outweigh the risks."
This comes after a 6-year-old boy was attacked by a coyote at his sister's softball game in Carson.
The coyote bit the back of the boy's head and both of his legs, requiring the child to have 20 stitches.
Mountain lions are not uncommon in certain parts of Southern California.
"Try to put the risk in perspective. In the last 100 years in California... according to the California Department of Fish and Wildlife, about 50 attacks on people. And it was six or seven of those, have been fatal. You are in much more danger getting on the 101 driving, where we have 4000 deaths per year," said Beth Pratt, regional director of the California National Wildlife Federation.
Pratt says if you or your children encounter a mountain lion -- don't run.
"You want to take some measures to look as big as possible. Be loud, I tell the school kids, when I talk to them, to roar, even though mountain lions don't roar... You want to show that mountain lion you're aware of it, and you're big."