Mom pries open cougar's jaws to rescue 7-year-old son

LAKE COWICHAN, British Columbia -- A 7-year-old boy survived a cougar attack in Canada because his mother pried its jaw open.

Kevin Bromley said his son Zach was playing in the family's backyard when the small cougar leaped at him and tried dragging him away.

RELATED: Runner kills cougar with bare hands after it attacked him

Wildlife officials say a man who fought off a young cougar on a northern Colorado trail killed the animal by choking it.

His mother Chelsea Bromley heard the commotion and charged at the animal. The family says as she was trying to pry the animal's jaws open, she cried out to God for help.

The animal soon released its grip and took off.

Zach is recovering with gash to his head, neck and arm. Conservation officers have euthanized the animal.

RELATED: Father missing after jumping into river to save 1-year-old son

Authorities have suspended the search for a 41-year-old man who jumped into a river to save his toddler son.

The cougar is also commonly known as the puma, mountain lion, panther or catamount.