A woman has been called a hero after fighting a mountain lion that attacked her five-year-old son. She dragged her little boy away from the big cat and beat it with her fists in her garden. The boy had bites and cuts to his head and body. He is now in a stable condition in a local hospital. He is expected to make a full recovery. The California Department of Fish and Wildlife said the mother was a "true hero" for saving her son's life.

The mountain lion was less than a year old. It was probably practising its hunting skills. Officials shot the lion and 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 [boy]." A different mountain lion was found. It was shot with a non-lethal tranquilizer and then released.