Boy, 8, Fights Off Mountain Lion By Punching It

An eight-year-old boy managed to fight off a mountain lion by repeatedly punching it in the face. How incredible is that?

Pike Carlson was playing with his older brother Gage outside their home in Denver, Colorado when he walked off to talk to a neighbour, but before he got there he was suddenly attacked by the big cat.

Speaking to Sky News, Pike said: "I was just punching, trying to grab anything that I can, like a stick.

"I did find a stick and I tried to get it in the eye but soon the stick snapped."

The animal is thought to have weighed around 30kg (4.7st) and was able to drag the youngster towards a tree where it pinned him down.

The pint-sized hard case refused to be beaten, though, and fought back as hard as he could against the mountain lion, which is also called a cougar or puma.

CNN

Seeing his brother in the grip of the puma, Gage ran home to go and get help from their dad Ron, who ran out the house armed with a knife to fight off the animal.

Ron told KUSA: "That parental instinct to protect your child kind of kicks in. It never even entered my head that I was about to tangle with something that could kill me.

"All you know is you have to do something. It doesn't matter what happens to you, you've got to protect your children."

But by the time Ron reached Pike the puma had already let go of the boy, allowing him to scoop up his son and assess the damage.

"When I first picked him up, I could see the whole side of his face was open," Ron said. "There was blood all over him. His scalp was ripped open in several spots. It was something that no parent should ever see."

PA

Pike was rushed to hospital where he has undergone two operations and receive stitches and staples to close up his injuries; he's now recovering at home.

Brave Pike seems pretty chilled about the whole thing, though, casually telling the news outlet: "The mountain lion is a cheater. No one try to wrestle a mountain lion. It is a cheater."

Well, I wasn't going to kiddo.

A fundraising page has been set up to help cover the cost of Pike's medical bills - so far, it has raised more than $20,000 (£16,280).

Topics: Animal, US News

Claire Reid

Claire is a journalist at LADbible who, after dossing around for a few years, went to Liverpool John Moores University. She graduated with a degree in Journalism and a whole load of debt. When not writing words in exchange for money she is usually at home watching serial killer documentaries surrounded by cats. You can contact Claire at [email protected]

@ClaireReid19