Mother Faces Off with Mountain Lion Cornering 4-Year-Old Boy in California Home

The mother of a 4-year-old boy who was being cornered by a mountain lion at the family's California home described the ordeal as "horrific."

According to Nidah Barber-Raymond, the incident happened on Tuesday, September 6 at the residence in the Beverly Hills neighborhood of Los Angeles.

Barber-Raymond, an actress, says that if she had not arrived in time, what might have happened terrified her. Barber-Raymond is also an entrepreneur with her skin clinic called Peel Connection.

Mountain Lions

The Yukon Territory of Canada in the north to the Strait of Magellan in the south is where you can find mountain lions, a large cat species that are native to the Americas. They are primarily found in 14 western states in the United States, where they live in wetlands, mountains, forests, and deserts.

Although mountain lion attacks are extremely unlikely and human encounters with the cats are uncommon, wildlife authorities advise people to exercise caution when traveling through mountain lion territory.

Maternal Instinct

Barber-Raymond said that Tuesday night, when her son was crying on the home's back deck, she first realized something was not right. The mother became aware of what was happening while she was in the kitchen, which was about 25 feet away.

She said that His son was being observed by the mountain lion. The wild animal was staring at the child as if he were dinner from about 4 feet away. The mountain lion appeared to be starving and frail.

Barber-Raymond was in disbelief at what was happening. She even did a double take because she was convinced she was seeing things. Her son was sobbing while burying his face in his hands and clenching his fists.

Read also: Pregnant Mountain Lion Exposed To Various Rat Poisons Before Being Hit By Car 

The mountain lion, which, according to Barber-Raymond, was about the size of a fairly large dog like a Dalmatian, charged at the cat as she ran outside onto the deck screaming at it.

She shared that The cat just stood there and regarded her child. She screamed as loud and high as she could for the animal to leave and took a step in the direction of it as if it were about to lunge at her in an attempt to intimidate it. The mountain lion responded by bounding up the retaining wall and running away.

The mother claimed that a mountain lion had previously visited the house; a few years prior, a neighbor had noticed one on the retaining wall while the whole family was out of town.

Shortly after the incident, Barber-Raymond informed wildlife control of what had occurred and declared that the family would now "stay alert," Newsweek reports

Mountain Lion Attacks in California

As per the Department of Fish and Wildlife, mountain lion attacks in California have resulted in three fatalities since 1986 and about 17 non-fatal attacks on other people. Given that 39 million people live in California alongside thousands of mountain lions, such attacks on humans are incredibly rare.

Numerous studies have shown that cougars are widespread throughout the state and that most people are unaware of the presence of these enormous feline neighbors, who typically prowl at night. Although they will eat anything from skunks to domestic dogs and cats, deer are their preferred prey.

Related article: 2 California Mountain Lion Kittens Died from Rat Poison