A woman in California has rescued her son, aged five, from an attack by a mountain lion.
The incident took place outside the family's home in the area of Calabasas in the Santa Monica mountain, west of Los Angeles.
The mountain lion pounced on the five-year-old child and dragged him across the front lawn when his mother ran out and struck the mountain lion with her bare hands until it let go.
The mountain lion was later found by wildlife authorities and shot dead.
The boy was taken at a Los Angeles hospital where he was treated for his injuries on his head and torso. It has been reported that his condition is stable.
A spokesperson for California's department of fish and wildlife, Capt. Patrick Foy, said that the woman had "absolutely saved her son's life".
The department also said that following a wildlife officer's arrival at the scene, the mountain lion was found crouching in the bushes with its "ears back and hissing".
After finding the mountain lion, the officer killed it as he believed that it was likely the culprit "due to its behaviour and proximity to the attack". Following, a DNA test, it was confirmed that it was the same animal that had attacked the child.
Mountain lion attacks in North America are extremely rare and officials reported that the animal involved in the attack was young. Experts estimate that the animal was still learning how to hunt.
[h/t: BBC]
COMMENTS