A five-year-old boy and his mother are on the mend after a vicious mountain lion attack. The incident took place around 8 p.m. Friday at the family’s home near Aspen, Colorado, ending with the mountain lion being put down—but not before it took a toll on the child and his maternal rescuer.

The names of those involved are being withheld by the Pitkin County Sheriff’s Office, but according to the department, the boy was playing with his older brother in the family’s front yard when the cougar attacked. The mother heard screams from the older brother and rushed out of the house to see the cat on top of the younger boy. The mother jumped into action and pried the animal off the child, resulting in injuries to her legs and—reports differ—at least one hand.

The family was en route to the Aspen Valley Hospital when the boy’s father made a 911 call and briefly recounted the attack. Dispatchers relayed the call to the sheriff’s office, with deputies visiting the family at the hospital for initial interviews. The mother explained what had happened and where the incident had occurred.

Sheriff’s deputies were joined by a U.S. Forest Service law enforcement officer and proceeded to the house. The lion was still in the family’s front yard, leading the Forest Service officer to put the animal down with a shotgun.

Colorado Parks and Wildlife officials were notified and visited the house to examine the dead mountain lion, which they described as a two-year-old male.

While one lion would have been news enough, a second lion was also seen in the vicinity. The Aspen Times reported that hound dogs were used to track down the animal, which was located 600 yards from the attack site at 2 a.m. Saturday morning. It was also put down, with the bodies of both cats being transported to a CWP facility for necropsies.

While the CWP described the first lion as approximately two years old, the Times listed both cats as eight to nine months old. Neither animal showed signs of injury or sickness—conditions which could have accounted for their unusual behavior.

The boy was transferred to the Children’s Hospital in Denver later Friday night. His injuries consisted of wounds to the face, head, and neck, but he was reportedly in fair condition as of that evening.

According to the CWP, the last known mountain lion attack in Colorado took place in July 2015. A fisherman was attacked by a yearling male and received bites and scratches on his back. The man was treated at a local clinic and the cougar was tracked down and killed.

Cover image via iStock