A mother who heard her child crying outside their Colorado home ended up wrestling him from a mountain lion's grasp, authorities said.
The 5-year-old boy is recovering after the Friday night attack that left him with injuries to his head, neck and face, Pitkin County Sheriff's Office said in a written statement.
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His mother, who has not been identified, sustained minor injuries to her hand and legs.
Authorities say the child was playing outside with his older brother around 8 p.m. when the mom heard his screams.
"The mother ran outside, saw the mountain lion on her son and was able to physically remove her son from the mountain lion," investigators stated in a release.
The children's father drove the family to Aspen Valley Hospital while sheriff's deputies responded to their home, about 10 miles northwest of Aspen. The officers found the big cat in the yard.
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“Since it was still there, it was either injured or very ill, so they dispatched it,” Pitkin County Undersheriff Ron Ryan told the Aspen Times.
The animal was killed at the scene, authorities said.
Male mountain lions can grow up to eight feet in length (one-third of which consists of their tail) and weigh as much as 200 pounds, according to the National Park Service.
Interactions between people and mountain lions, which are also known as pumas, cougars and panthers, has increased in recent years. The reasons include a decline in natural habitat as their numbers have grown, along with an increased deer population and density, according to Colorado Parks and Wildlife.
Attacks against humans are still relatively rare and mountain lions have killed fewer than a dozen people in North American in more than 100 years, according to the agency.
"Most of the attacks were by young lions, perhaps forced out to hunt on their own and not yet living in established areas,"CPW states on its website. "Young lions may key in on easy prey, like pets and small children."
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The agency advises anyone under threat from a mountain lion to appear bigger by raising your arms, or open your jacket if you're wearing one. Throw objects such as stones at the animal if it gets aggressive and fight back if needed, the agency recommends.
"Lions have been driven away by prey that fights back. People have fought back with rocks, sticks, caps or jackets, garden tools and their bare hands successfully. Remain standing or try to get back up!" it states.
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