Gregory Ysais, Jr., rescued Laura M. Small from an attacking mountain lion, San Juan Capistrano, California, March 23, 1986. Laura, 5, was with her mother in a wilderness park when a mountain lion grasped her by the head and carried her into an area thick with brush and cactus. Alerted by the mother’s screams, Ysais, 36, electronics technician, who was hiking nearby, set out on the lion’s trail and confronted it in a small clearing. He shouted loudly at the mountain lion as he approached it swinging a large stick. The lion, which held Laura in its jaws, swiped at Ysais with its claws exposed, then dropped Laura and backed away. Ysais jumped between Laura and the lion as Laura’s mother picked up her daughter and fled. The mountain lion went off into the brush. Laura was taken to the hospital, where she was treated for severe head and face injuries. 61052-7034
61052 – 7034
61052-7034