Woman clubs lion, saves life of husband

A wife's act of bravery saves her husband from a mountain lion attack in California.

From the Denver Post:

By Lisa Leff

Woman clubs lion, saves life of husband

San Francisco - Wildlife officials on Thursday credited a woman with saving her husband's life by clubbing a mountain lion that attacked him while the couple were hiking in a California state park.

Jim and Nell Hamm, who will celebrate their 50th wedding anniversary next month, were hiking in Prairie Creek Redwoods State Park when the lion pounced.

"He didn't scream. It was a different, horrible plea for help, and I turned around, and by then the cat had wrestled Jim to the ground," Nell Hamm said in an interview from the hospital where her husband was recovering from a torn scalp, puncture wounds and other injuries...

...Although the Hamms are experienced hikers, neither had seen a mountain lion before Jim Hamm was mauled, his wife said. Nell Hamm said she grabbed a 4-inch- wide log and beat the animal with it, but it would not release its hold on her husband's head.

"Jim was talking to me all through this, and he said, 'I've got a pen in my pocket and get the pen and jab him in the eye,"' she said. "So I got the pen and tried to put it in his eye, but it didn't want to go in as easy as I thought it would."

When the pen bent and became useless, Nell Hamm went back to using the log. The lion eventually let go and, with blood on its snout, stood staring at the woman. She screamed and waved the log until the animal walked away.

"She saved his life, there is no doubt about it," said Steve Martarano, a spokesman for the Department of Fish and Game

Another example of bravery and how a combat mindset can save a life.

Mrs. Hamm has some good back country advice:

Nell Hamm warned people never to hike in the backcountry alone.

I would add "...and unarmed".

Oh wait, I forgot, we are talking about California.

From the California State Parks website:

LOADED FIREARMS AND HUNTING are not allowed in units of the State Parks System. Possession of loaded firearms or air rifles is prohibited.

So there you have it, in California you are not only prohibited from protecting yourself from goblins and other evil creatures of the two legged sort, you are prohibited from protecting yourself from more natural violent creatures.

I first saw this mentioned over at The War on Guns.