In an incredible stroke of luck, a man who was attacked by a grizzly bear while hiking in Wyoming’s Grand Teton National Park was saved by a misplaced bite.
A 35-year-old man from Massachusetts was hiking on Signal Mountain on the afternoon of May 21st when a grizzly bear attacked. The man played dead while he was being mauled. While the grizzly was attacking the man, it bit into a pressurized canister of bear repellant causing it to burst. The grizzly fled after the bear spray hit the air.
The man made it to safety and spent Sunday night in the hospital and according to a park service statement is in “stable condition and is expected to fully recover.”
National Parks Service Guidelines To Grizzly Attacks:
Brown/Grizzly Bears: If you are attacked by a brown/grizzly bear, leave your pack on and PLAY DEAD. Lay flat on your stomach with your hands clasped behind your neck. Spread your legs to make it harder for the bear to turn you over. Remain still until the bear leaves the area. Fighting back usually increases the intensity of such attacks. However, if the attack persists, fight back vigorously. Use whatever you have at hand to hit the bear in the face.
images from GrandTetonNPS Facebook