A woman in California has been hailed a hero after fighting off a mountain lion that was carrying away her five-year-old son. Her maternal instincts kicked in as she dragged her little boy from the jaws of the big cat. She fought off the wild animal with her bare fists in the garden of her house on Thursday morning. Her son had been playing in the garden when the lion pounced. The boy suffered bites and lacerations to his head and torso, but is now in a stable condition in a local hospital. He is expected to make a full recovery. Patrick Foy, a spokesperson from the California Department of Fish and Wildlife, said: "The true hero of this story is his mom because she absolutely saved her son's life."

Officials reported that the mountain lion was a juvenile and was less than a year old. They said the attack probably happened because the creature was young and was practising its hunting skills. They shot a lion near the boy's home that was acting in an "aggressive" nature. The officials later stated: "Wildlife forensics scientists analyzed samples from underneath the claws of the suspect lion carcass and isolated traces of human tissue and blood with a DNA profile that matched the young victim." They added: "Results were conclusive that it was the attacking lion that was shot by the wildlife officer on scene." Another mountain lion was found at the scene. It was shot with a non-lethal tranquilizer and released.