A woman has been hailed as a hero after she saved her five-year-old son’s life by fighting off a?mountain lion?with her bare hands.?
The incident took place in southern California where a five-year-old boy was playing outside his home in Calabasas. Suddenly, a 65-pound mountain lion came out of nowhere and attacked him, The Guardian reported.
It dragged the boy for nearly 45 yards from across the front lawn as the boy started screaming for help. As soon as the mother heard the screams, she rushed outside of the house and started punching the lion with her bare hands.??
Captain Patrick Foy, a spokesperson with the California Department of Fish and Wildlife, told?Associated Press the mountain lion “dragged him about 45 yards" before his mother,?came to the rescue.
"She ran out of the house and started punching and striking the mountain lion with her bare hands and got him off her son,"?Foy said.?
"The true hero of this story is his mom because she absolutely saved her son’s life," he added.?
As soon as the mother saved her son from the mountain lion, the couple immediately drove the boy to the hospital and notified the law enforcement.
Officials went to the family's home when an officer noticed an "aggressive" mountain lion in the corner of the property.?
"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 site," the wildlife department said in a statement.??
The officials also ran DNA tests on the boy to make sure the attack was by the lion mountain only, and the tests confirmed the claim.
After the incident, another mountain lion was spotted in the area. It was tranquilised and released into the wild unharmed.