A 25-year-old woman from Madhya Pradesh, India, is being hailed a hero after she reportedly fought a tiger with her own hands in order to save her toddler son.

They say a mother’s love for her child is like nothing else, and Archana Choudhary a young woman from rural Madhya Pradesh, recently proved it when she risked her own life to save that of her 15-month-old son. The two were walking through a field on the outskirts of the Bandhavgarh Tiger Reserve on Sunday, when a full-grown tiger leaped out of the bushes, sunk its teeth into the boy’s head and started dragging him away into the jungle. Completely disregarding her own safety, Archana attacked the large feline with her bare hands in order to save her son.

Photo: Clovis Wood Photography/Unsplash

The young Indian woman reportedly managed to keep the tiger away from her son at the cost of serious injuries to her back, waist and arms. Her screams during the struggle attracted other villagers who managed to chase away to the big cat with sticks. Archana and her child both needed medical attention and were rushed to a district hospital.

While the toddler only suffered minor injuries to the head, Archana Choudhary’s injuries were considerably more serious, including deep wounds on her body and a punctured lung. They have both been given anti-rabies injections and are expected to make a full recovery.

Archana’s courage reminded us of a similar story we featured last year, when a woman chased a leopard over a mile and fought it to save her toddler child.