Robert Biggs, 69, was walking in north-central California when he spotted a mother bear accompanied by a yearling and a newborn around 40ft away from him.He watched the animals for a few minutes before turning to walk back up the trail and then a mountain lion pounced, grabbing his backpack.
Mr Biggs had seen the mother bear (not pictured) several times before
Mr Biggs told the Paradise Post: “It must have been stalking the little bear. It was on me in seconds.”
He tussled with the cat and hit it on the head with a rock pick he had been carrying but it still clung on.
The walker said he was only saved when the mother bear approached him from behind, grabbed the lion and ripped it from his bag.
The two animals fought for a few seconds before the cat ran away.
The bear then also left, leaving Mr Biggs behind with bite marks, scratches and bruises but otherwise unhurt.
The hiker had walked the same trail several times before and seen the mother bear and its cub twice, even playing “patty-cake” with the youngster.
He is certain the mother bear that saved him during the attack by the lion is the same as the animal he had seen before because he recognised her markings.
