Lower Woody Creek, Colorado. June 17, 2016.
The screaming started around 8 PM on a Friday evening.
A five-year-old boy and his older brother were playing in their front yard, ten miles northwest of Aspen. Their mother was inside. By the time she reached the yard, summoned by the sound of screams, a mountain lion was hunched over her younger son.
She charged.
The Jaws
When she yanked away one of the lion's paws, she made a discovery that would have frozen most people: her son's entire head was inside the animal's mouth.
The mountain lion was young�roughly two years old, not yet fully grown. Wildlife officials would later note it was not a large cat. "Had it been a 110-pound lion�which I've seen around here�this would have been a much different story," Deputy Michael Buglione of the Pitkin County Sheriff's Office said.
But in that moment, size did not matter. The lion had her son.
She grabbed the cat's jaws with her bare hands and pried them open.
She freed the boy, scooped him up, and ran.
The Cost
The boy suffered deep cuts to his head, face, and neck. He was airlifted to a Denver hospital and listed in fair condition.
The mother had bite marks on her hand and scratches on her leg. She was treated and released.
Law enforcement killed the mountain lion in the family's front yard. A second lion was tracked and killed the following morning.
The Context
According to Colorado Parks and Wildlife, there have been three fatal mountain lion attacks in the state since 1990, and eighteen non-fatal attacks resulting in injury since 1970.
"These attacks are certainly rare, but not unheard of," a wildlife official said.
The family's names were not released to the public.
The Record
Deputy Buglione put it simply:
"She was able to pry the cat's jaws open. She's a hero."
Source: KERA News / Associated Press