Here's why:
* Verb: The base form of the word is "maul," meaning to attack violently or to handle roughly.
* Past Participle: "Mauled" is used to form perfect tenses (e.g., "The animal has been mauled") and passive voice constructions (e.g., "The victim was mauled").
While past participles can sometimes function as adjectives, in this case, "mauled" is clearly a verb form.