On Friday evening, a Colorado mother raced to her front garden after hearing screams and came upon a horrifying sight: Her 5-year-old son was being attacked by a mountain lion.
The brave woman immediately ran at the animal and wrenched back one of its paws to discover that the boy's entire head was inside the mountain lion's mouth.
The Sheriff's Deputy Michael Buglione spoke to the The Aspen Times:
"She was able to pry the cat's jaws open," he said. "She's a hero."
The boy was playing with his older brother outside the family home near the Aspen resort town when the ordeal began.
"The boy was completely under the cat," Buglione told the newspaper.
The mother's quick thinking in prising the cat's mouth open, grabbing the child and running to safety saved the boy's life. He sustained injuries to his head, face, and neck and was flown to a hospital in Denver shortly after. The boy's mother, who had some scratches and bites, was treated and then released.
The father was just returning from an evening run when the attack happened, and they were able to immediately jump into the car and head to Aspen hospital, calling 911 as they drove. From there he was flown to the Denver Children's Hospital and his condition was described as fair.
The family's names have not been released as yet.
Sheriff's Deputy Buglione told the newspaper that "it wasn't a big cat."
"Had it been a 110-pound lion – which I've seen around here – this would have been a much different story."
There is an estimated 4,500 mountain lions living in Colorado who occasionally wander into residential areas. Since 1990; mountain lions have killed three people and injured 18 in the state.
Just hours after the attack on the little boy officials killed two mountain lions in the area and the animals are currently being examined to ascertain if they were diseased or undernourished.
