Colorado Mother Pries Open Jaws of Mountain Lion to Save Son, Victim Doing Better Now

A Colorado mother had to pry open the jaws of a mountain lion that was attacking her five-year-old son and now the boy is said to be doing better after the attack.

NPR reported that the incident took place on Friday evening and she had to reach into the animal's mouth to grab the head of her son from the animal's jaws. The child was playing outside of their home with his brother and the mother heard screaming. Pitkin County police released a statement confirming the reports and said that the mother rushed outside and found the mountain lion on top of her son.

The woman charged at the animal and yanked away one of its paws. She then discovered then that whole head of her son was in the animal's mouth. The woman was able to remove her son physically from the mountain lion after prying its jaws open. Deputy Michael Buglione had nothing but high praises for the mother noting that she is a hero.

The names of the people involved have not been released but it has been reported that the child sustained injuries to his face, head, and neck during the attack. The boy has been listed under fair condition days after the incident. He has been transferred from Aspen to a hospital in Denver. The mother was also injured when she tried to save her son. She had minor injuries to her hands and legs.

Law enforcement officials responded to the 911 call of the mother. They were able to find the mountain lion in the front yard of the family and the animal was killed. The mountain lion was said to be about two years old and a male.

Buglione added, "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." A second big cat was tracked by dogs and was killed a day after. Earlier, two more lions were seen near the area before the incident took place.

The family also issued a statement thanking the people for their concern and assured that their son is doing better. The family also thanked the people for respecting their privacy.

Around 4,500 mountain lions live in Colorado.

The incident took place weeks after the incident where a silverback gorilla was shot dead in a zoo after a four-year-old boy fell into the enclosure. It also comes days after a two-year-old boy was snatched by an alligator in Universal resorts in Orlando, Florida.