Mother Fights Off Mountain Lion With Bare Hands To Save Her 5-Year-Old

The child was playing outside his house when the mountain lion attacked, dragging him about 45 yards.

A woman in California has been praised as an "absolute hero" for rescuing her five-year-old son from a mountain lion attack. According to the California Department of Fish and Wildlife, the child was playing outside his house near Calabasas in Los Angeles County on Thursday when the mountain lion attacked, dragging him about 45 yards.  Alerted by the boy's screams, his mother ran outside and started striking and punching the mountain lion with her bare hands until the animal released the child.  "The commotion caused by the attack and the boy's screaming alerted the mom who was inside. She ran outside and immediately started striking and punching at the lion and managed to fend the lion off her son," said Captain Patrick Foy with the California Department of Fish and Wildlife to CBS News. "This mom's an absolute hero who saved her son's life, there's no question about it." The mountain lion managed to inflict wounds to the boy's head, neck and upper torso. Authorities said he was transported to the hospital immediately by his parents and will remain there as he recovers from his injuries. The boy, whose name was not released, is now in a stable condition.