A brave California mom managed to fight off a mountain lion in order to save her 5-year-old son, The Guardian reports. The 65-pound cat attacked the young boy near his home in Calabasas on Thursday and “dragged him about 45 yards” across the lawn before his mother sprung into action. Thankfully, his life was saved because of her quick thinking.
- The little boy suffered serious injuries. According to Captain Patrick Foy from the California Department of Fish and Wildlife, the boy ended up with pretty serious injuries to his head and torso but was in stable condition at a hospital in Los Angeles and expected to make a full recovery. The mountain lion that attacked the boy was shot and killed.
- The boy’s mother is being hailed a hero. As Foy said, this story could have ended much differently had the boy’s mom not acted so quickly and run outside when she heard the commotion. “The true hero of this story is his mom because she absolutely saved her son’s life,” Foy said. “She ran out of the house and started punching and striking the mountain lion with her bare hands and got him off her son.”
- The mountain lion was still on the property when wildlife officers arrived. While the parents drove their son to the hospital immediately to be treated for his wounds, they also notified law enforcement officers, who sent a wildlife officer to the property. The mountain lion was found crouching in the bushes with its “ears back and hissing,” Foy recalled.
- Unfortunately, the animal had to be put down to ensure public safety. As the wildlife department revealed in a statement, the mountain lion had to be put down so that it didn’t attack again. “Due to its behavior and proximity to the attack, the warden believed it was likely the attacking lion and to protect public safety shot and killed it on sight,” it said.
