Robert Biggs, 69 of Paradise, Calif., had a pretty wild encounter when he went out for a hike on Monday. Hiking near Whiskey Flats, Biggs stopped to watch a mother bear and her cub by a stream, but was jumped from behind by another animal when he turned to leave.

The California man wasn't attacked by a bear, but a mountain lion. Biggs said that the mountain lion jumped on his back, forcing him to fall to his knees. He grabbed me from behind and knocked me to the ground, Biggs told the Huffington Post. I was on my knees. I had my rock pick out because I was on a steep incline, and I smashed the cat in the head with it. He screamed , but didn't let go.

Fortunately for Biggs, the mother bear was only 40 feet away to help him. That's when a blur on my left side grabbed the lion by its throat, said Biggs of the mother bear. I heard tremendous screeching, some growling noises.

During the bear and mountain lion's struggle, Biggs was able to get out of the cats grip. The Bear, which outweighed the cat 400 pounds to 100 pounds, won the fight, explained Briggs. As the mountain lion ran away, the hiker claimed that the bear humbly made eye contact before going back to its cub.

I'm 100-percent sure it did want to save my life, he says of the bear. I'd seen the bears before and I know she knew who I was.

I think the lion was stalking the bear's cub and I got in the way, Biggs said. The bear walked calmly back to her cub after, and I wrapped my arm up with a T-shirt and went gold panning before I went home.

Robert Biggs arm is black and blue and has puncture wounds, but he does not fear returning back to his hiking grounds.

Gold Gold California California