A brave mother fought off a mountain lion that attacked her 5-year-old son outside their home in northwest Aspen, Colorado.
According to reports, the boy had been playing with his brother outside his home in the Colorado mountains on Friday evening when the cat decided to pounce
The Independent reports:
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His mother allegedly heard screams and rushed into the backyard of the family home in northwest Aspen, where she found the creature on top of her son, said Pitkin County Sheriff’s Office.
The woman “was able to physically remove her son from the mountain lion” before the boy’s father drove his son to hospital, the sheriff added.
The child was taken to Aspen Valley Hospital and then transferred to Children’s Hospital in Denver, but is said to be in “fair condition”.
Meanwhile, his mother was treated for minor injuries in Aspen Valley Hospital and then released, according to the Denver Post.
Internet users have expressed their reactions to the attacks on social media, with many praising the woman for saving her son.
“Mother’s from Colorado are just another breed of awesome, go momma mountain lion beater,” said Peter Mercer on Facebook.
Others expressed concern for the well-being of wild animals, suggesting that many attacks are a result of their habitat being destroyed.
“I feel that humans have taken over so much territory, we built our homes on animals natural habitats and destroyed their homes,” said Alejandra Hernandez on Facebook.
“Of course these animals are wandering around everywhere, they’re hungry they need to survive.”
The Colorado Parks and Wildlife website offers advice on what residents should do if they encounter a mountain lion.
The main tips are to “not approach”, “stay calm” and “do all you can to appear larger”.
It proceeds to advise people to “throw stones” if the lion behaves aggressively and “fight back” if a lion attacks.
