A five-year-old girl snatched by a black bear outside her home in Colorado was saved by the quick thinking of her mother, who scared the animal away, according to wildlife officials.

The girl, who has not been named, is expected to make a full recovery despite needing more than 70 stitches after the attack on Sunday.

Wildlife officials said they killed the bear believed to be responsible for the attack later that day close to the city of Grand Junction, about 240 miles (386 kilometers) west of Denver.

The girl's mother told state wildlife officers that her daughter went outside around 2:30 am after hearing noises she thought might be coming from her dog. The mother said she heard screaming and found her daughter being dragged by a large black bear.

She told authorities that the bear dropped the girl after she screamed at it.