Mother fights mountain lion with bare hands to save her 5-year-old son

California, United States

A mother jumps to the rescue of her kid even if that means fighting a mountain lion with bare hands.

The incident took place in southern California where a five-year-old boy was playing outside his home in Calabasas. While the boy was enjoying his time, a 65-pound mountain lion appeared out of nowhere and targeted the small kid.

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.

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"The true hero of this story is his mom because she absolutely saved her son’s life," said Captain Patrick Foy, a spokesman with the California department of fish and wildlife. "She ran out of the house and started punching and striking the mountain lion with her bare hands and got him off her son."

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.

The officers noticed that the mountain lion was crouching behind the bushes with its "ears back and hissing" at the officers.

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"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.