A heroine mum saved her son's life after punching a mountain lion during the horrific attack on her five-year-old.
The unnamed Californian woman saw the 65 pound predator drag her kid "around 45 yards" across the lawn of their home in Calabasas in the Santa Monica mountains.
The youngster suffered traumatic head and torso injuries during the attack but the fact he's still alive is down to his brave mum, said a law enforcement officer.
While the young lad was recovering from the terrifying attack at a Los Angeles hospital, California Department of Fish and Wildlife spokesman Captain James Foy paid tribute to her, according to the New York Post.
He said: "The true hero of this story is his mom because she absolutely saved her son’s life.
"The commotion caused by the attack and the boy’s screaming alerted the mom who was inside. She ran outside and immediately started striking and punching at the lion and managed to fend the lion off her son."
The parents of the injured child drove him to hospital where his is said to be in a "stable" condition. Staff there alerted authorities to the attack and a wildlife officer sent to the scene shot and killed the animal, which was said to be "hissing" at him.
It is reportedly the first attack on a human by a mountain lion in the area in more than 20 years. The mountain lion is also known as also known as a cougar, puma , panther, or catamount and are native to North America.
The Mountain Lion Foundation reckons there are around 30,000 in the wild in but interactions with humans are very rare. They are opportunistic hunters who mainly feed on deer but they'll also eat coyotes, raccoons, rodents, elk, feral hogs, and even porcupines.
Advice on the Foundation's website tells of that to do if you're cornered by a mountain lion. It said: "Maintain eye contact. Stand tall. Look bigger by opening your coat or raising your arms. Slowly wave yourarms and speak firmly.
"Throw items at the lion if necessary. Give the cat room and time to move on. In the rare event of an attack, fight back. Most people succeed in driving the mountain lion away."
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