A man who was attacked by a grizzly mom has escaped with his life after punching the bear square in the face.
The man, who was cycling along a trail in Anderson Flats Provincial Park in Canada's British Columbia, encountered the grizzly bear and her two cubs in a clearing.
The angry mother swiftly ran toward him and attacked, knocking him to the ground.
The man used his bike as a shield, managing to hold off the female's attack, until he suddenly punched her in the face.
"He told me that he remembered hearing a story on CBC at some point where a man punched a bear in the nose to get it off of him," conservation officer Matthew Corbett told Canadian news CBC, noting that the man "swung as hard as he could."
The bear and her cubs then ran off into the forest, leaving him to climb back onto his bike and ride out of the area, grabbing a lift from other park visitors. He only had minor injuries from the attack, thankfully.
"This situation is really unique, I'd say," Corbett said, remarking that he had never heard of someone punching a grizzly in the face before now.
In 2017, a similar story—the one that the man may have been thinking of—occurred when a 57-year-old man escaped an attacking grizzly juvenile by hitting it in the face and throwing objects at it.
There are around 25,000 grizzly bears in Canada, about 15,000 of which live in British Columbia. Adult males typically weigh between 400 to 790 pounds, while females are smaller, weighing around 290 to 400 pounds. Grizzly bears are generally solitary animals, except for females with cubs or during the mating season in mid-May to early July.
Most grizzly bear attacks occur when a bear is surprised at close range, as they may react defensively if they feel threatened, especially if they are protecting their cubs.
Parks Canada advises traveling in groups and making as much noise as possible to avoid encountering bears altogether, and carrying bear spray at all times.
"No one should enter bear country without a deterrent. The most accessible, effective and easy to use is bear spray. It is not expensive and has stopped many an attack," Tom S. Smith, a professor of wildlife sciences at Brigham Young University, told Newsweek. "For those who are gun-savvy and capable, a firearm is effective as well. Less so, but also useful, are flares (like the small plastic waterproof ones the U.S. and Canadian Coast Guard requires boaters to have). Bears have a real problem with screaming fireballs shot at them."
According to Parks Canada, if you encounter a bear, you should remain calm, and talk calmly and firmly to the animal, backing away slowly.
"Never run! Running may trigger a pursuit," they say on their website.
If the bear is attacking defensively, like the mother bear, then they advise playing dead.
"Lie on your stomach with legs apart and position your arms so that your hands are crossed behind your neck. This position makes you less vulnerable to being flipped over and protects your face, the back of your head and neck. Remain still until you are sure the bear has left the area," Parks Canada said.
However, if the bear is acting predatorily, or has shifted from defensive to predator mode, they advise fighting back.
"Intimidate that bear: shout; hit it with a branch or rock, do whatever it takes to let the bear know you are not easy prey. This kind of attack is very rare, but it is serious because it usually means the bear is looking for food and preying on you," Parks Canada said.
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