The mother fights with the cougar with bare hands to save her son from attacking the world

While the boy was playing outside his home in Calabasas, in the Santa Monica Mountains west of Los Angeles, the animal jumped on him.

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The baby was dragged across the lawn, but his mother ran over and hit the cook with her hands until he freed his son.

The animal was later shot by wildlife officials.

The boy sustained head and body injuries, but is now in a stable condition at a hospital in Los Angeles, the Associated Press reports.

Capt. Patrick Foy, a spokesman for the California Department of Wildlife, told the mother he “saved his son’s life.”

Upon arriving at the scene, a wildlife officer noticed a puma bending over in the bushes, “with ears back and muttering.”

The officer killed the cat, believing him to be “because of the criminal’s behavior and proximity to the scene of the attack.”

DNA testing later confirmed that it was the same animal that attacked the baby.

Cougar attacks are very rare in North America. Authorities said the animal involved was young.

Experts believe he has still learned to hunt and defend himself, according to CBS News.