A man managed to survive two gruesome bear attacks after the protective grizzly came back for more and sank its teeth into his arm 25 times.
Todd Orr was on one of his regular hikes in the Montana mountains and like any other hikes he’d been, he always carried a bear spray and yelled “hey bear” every 30 seconds to make his presence.
But soon he spotted a mother grizzly bear and her two cubs disappearing into the woods and thought it was a “good sign” that the bear was scared of people.
“I turned and looked over my shoulder and she [the grizzly sow] had dropped her cubs, circled all the way around and came behind me,” he said in an interview on the Today show.
He pulled out his bear spray but it was too late, the bear charged right at him and bit him four to five times on his right arm.
Todd said the bear made a wheezing, coughing sound and took off right after.
In a video he filmed right after the attack, his face had bloodstains all over as he said: “Just had a grizzly with two cubs come at me at about 80 yards.
“Internal organs are good, eyes are good. I just walked up three miles and now I will go to the hospital. Be safe out there!”
But as Todd made his way out, he met the bear and the two cubs again.
He was knocked over by the bear and put up his hands to protect his face and neck.
“The next thing I know, she is chewing on me. She bit me probably 25 times on my right arm and it was just a flash,” Todd recalled.
“In my mind, I’m just telling myself ‘don’t move, she’s going to leave’.”
Thankfully, his legs were not injured and he was able to walk to the nearest hospital where doctors spent seven hours to stitch him up.
Todd now shared his advice to hikers and urged them to always pay attention to the surroundings.
Making noises is a good way to let the animals know your presence and practise using bear spray before going for a walk.
This article by Tiffany Lo was first published by The Daily Star on 1 September 2022. Lead Image: He said the bear came at him so fast that the bear spray didn’t work and the next second, he was pounded to the ground (Image: Getty Images).
What you can do
Support ‘Fighting for Wildlife’ by donating as little as $1 – It only takes a minute. Thank you.
Fighting for Wildlife supports approved wildlife conservation organizations, which spend at least 80 percent of the money they raise on actual fieldwork, rather than administration and fundraising. When making a donation you can designate for which type of initiative it should be used – wildlife, oceans, forests or climate.
Leave a Reply