A five-year-old boy has survived a mountain lion attack in what has been described as a “fight for his life”.

The boy, who has been named only as Jack, was left with cuts to his face and a fracture near his eye, as well as other cuts, scratches and bruises.

The incident took place near the family farm in Half Moon Bay, in San Mateo County, in the US state of California California and both Jack and his mother, who has not been named, fought off the mountain lion, according to local media.

Jack was reportedly having a walk near the family farm when the mountain lion pounced on him on Tuesday, 31st January.

His aunt, named as Amie Wagner, has started a GoFundMe to help with his medical bills and at the time of writing, it had notched up over USD 15,000 out of a USD 10,000 goal (https://www.gofundme.com/f/jacks-battle-with-a-mountain-lion).

Despite his injuries, his aunt said that Jack’s “spirit remains intact”. Wagner added: “That mountain lion picked the wrong kid and mama to mess with.”

She says on the GoFundMe page: “He is the most courageous, adventurous little guy I have ever met and I am not surprised that if there was a kid who could wrestle a mountain lion and come out on top, it would be Jack.”

She also said: “They are a hard-working, amazing family, dedicating their life’s work to running a program for the area’s homeless population on the farm, in addition to a program that serves underprivileged students.”

The San Mateo County Sheriff’s Office and the California Department of Fish and Wildlife are reportedly investigating the incident.