Danger in the wild
Hobbs and Kristi Harris brought their son for son, the 6-year-old River, for a camping trip at Big Bend National Park, Texas. However they met another family on the trail, who informed them that they were being harassed by an aggressive mountain lion. The Harrises then decided to rent a room.
Luck was not on their side however, as they were on the way to the main lodge, the mountain lion attacked. River was walking in front of his mother, with his father leading the way. The lion, which had been following them, sprinted around Kristi and pounced on the 6-year-old boy. Kristi tried her best to grab her son’s hand, but the cat pulled River to the ground and jerked the boy away from his mother. The cat then clamped its fangs onto the boy’s face and began dragging him away.
Fearing for his son’s life, Hobbs reached for his pocket knife before heroically leaping towards the cat. He then plunged the small blade into the animal’s chest, causing it to let River go. The animal fled the scene.
The aftermath
Hobbs’ heroic efforts saved his son from a certain death. River survived the ordeal, though he required 17 stitches to close the wounds on his face. Echoing the fearlessness of his father, when asked by reporters whether the attack hurt, the 6-year-old friend replied, “no, not that bad”.
They say that when parents see their child in danger, parenting instincts and pure panic towards their child’s predicament grants them more strength, speed and incredible bravery. In this case Hobbs completely disregarded his safety, only thinking about the life of his son. He threw himself into the chaos, right in front of the vicious mountain lion and attempted to stop it with a small blade.
Food for thought
The fact that a father was so willing to protect his child at any cost shows us the deep connection fathers have with their kids. It’s the kind of love and understanding that makes them go the distance for us, regardless of the consequences for them. While not every dad is capable of fighting off a mountain lion, put your dad in the same situation and his actions would undoubtedly be the same as Hobbs’ (minus the pocket knife).
Your dad is a hero, treat him like one like this Father’s day.