Jack Trexler, a five-year-old boy from Half Moon, California, experienced a harrowing encounter on Tuesday evening when the boy was attacked by a mountain lion.
His brave mother, Suzie Trexler, had to intervene and wrestle the animal off her son, who was left with deep lacerations on his face and multiple cuts and bruises.
On a GoFundMe page set up for Jack, his Aunt Amie Wagner wrote, “He is the most courageous, adventurous little guy I have ever met, and I am not surprised that if there was a kid who could wrestle a mountain lion and come out on top, it would be Jack.”
Jack was with his mother and grandpa walking along Tunitas Creek when the incident occurred, as reported by ABC7.
It is thought that the mountain lion, which had been getting a drink, was startled by Jack and attacked him. Suzie rushed to her son’s aid, and as she approached, the animal released him.
She scooped Jack up and ran to safety, taking him to a nearby hospital. According to GoFundMe, Jack was later transferred to a trauma center and is now recovering at home with his family.
His aunt praises Jack’s mom, “Suzie is a real strong mother and she is a hero.”
The Daily Mail UK reported that Captain Patrick Foy from the Department of Fish and Wildlife said, “The attack was very, very vicious in nature. Every indication is that the mother saved her son’s life.”
DNA has been collected from Jack’s wounds in an attempt to find the mountain lion, which, if caught, will not be released back into the wild.
This was the second attack in California in less than a year, and Foy urges, “If attacked, fight back. That’s probably the most important thing for people to understand. It’s not something where you play dead. You have to fight for your life.”