Mother saves son from mountain lion
The mother heard screaming at their home near the Colorado resort town of Aspen. The boy was playing outside with his brother, Pitkin County sheriff’s deputy, Michael Buglione said.
The mother ran outside and saw her son struggling with the animal. “She said the mountain lion was on top of her son, crouched down on top of him,” Mr Buglione said.
“She grabbed a paw and lifted it up, and put her right hand in its mouth to pry the boy out of its mouth, so the boy could get free.”
The animal ran off. The boy suffered deep cuts to his face, head and neck, and was taken to a Denver hospital, Mr Buglione said.
The mother had bite marks on her hand and scratches on her leg. The mountain lion was about two years old and not fully grown. Wildlife officials killed two mountain lions in the area within several hours of the attack. Both animals were examined to determine if they were hungry or diseased.
Colorado is home to 4,500 mountain lions, and they sometimes wander into urban areas, looking for food. Since 1990, mountain lions have killed three people and injured 18 in the state.
“They’re wild animals. They find habitat where they can forage for food,” Colorado Parks and Wildlife spokesman, Matt Robbins, said.
