Woman tries to pry open mountain lion’s jaws to free her dog, California police say

A Southern California woman investigating a ruckus in her backyard at 2 a.m. Thursday found her dog Pumbaa locked in a mountain lion’s jaws, KABC reported.

“She obviously cared about her dog very much, as all dog owners do,” said Sgt. Keith Eisenhower of the Simi Valley Police Department, KNBC reported.

“She tried to fend the animal off by punching it, elbowing it and tried to pry its jaws open,” Eisenhower said, according to the station. The woman suffered a cut on her finger.

But Pumbaa, a miniature schnauzer, died of his injuries, KCBS reported.

A similar mountain lion attack in the same neighborhood of Simi Valley, just north of Los Angeles, earlier in the night injured another dog, KTLA reported.

Both encounters took place on Evening Sky Drive, according to the station. People in the community also had reported spotting a mountain lion during the day Wednesday.

Simi Valley police advised residents to keep pets indoors, KNBC reported. Police and state Department of Fish and Wildlife agents are searching for the mountain lion.

The animal was reportedly wearing a tracking collar used by researchers to study Southern California mountain lions, KTTV reported.

This story was originally published December 5, 2019 at 9:41 AM with the headline "Woman tries to pry open mountain lion’s jaws to free her dog, California police say."