A woman in southern California punched a mountain lion as she attempted to save her dying dog, police said.
The woman suffered a minor cut after the animal attacked her miniature schnauzer in a backyard on Thursday in Simi Valley, a city in California.
The pet died but in a desperate bid to save it she attempted to pry open the jaws of the cat and lashed out at it, officials said.
“She obviously cared about her dog very much, as all dog owners do,” Police Sgt Keith Eisenhour told KNBC-TV.
“She tried to fend the animal off by punching it, elbowing it and tried to pry its jaws open.”
Police commander Adam Darough said responding officers saw the mountain lion eating the dog in the backyard but it quickly took off into the hills.
The attack happened about 35 miles north-east of downtown Los Angeles in a neighbourhood bordering wildlands.
It followed reports that another dog was injured by a mountain lion in the same area on Wednesday night.
Mountain lion sightings in the area earlier in the day prompted a mass police search, including Ventura county sheriff’s helicopter and animal control officers, but nothing was found.
Biologists in the Santa Monica Mountains national recreation team are studying the lions to determine how they survive in the city, marked by urban dwellings and busy roads.
Additional reporting by Associated Press
