Woman Survives Terrifying Bear Attack
June 10, 2005
By Mark Miller
EDMONTON, ALBERTA - She fought back, and she survived.
Julia Gerlach, 27, didn't notice the black bear standing behind her until it was too late. "As I turned around, I looked an average-sized black bear straight in the eye," recalls the German native.
Gerlach was working as a forester, planting trees northwest of Fort Nelson, British Columbia when the male black bear pounced.
"He just charged me, knocked me down and started mauling," she says. "I felt him ripping off my skull, biting my arms and my legs."
Gerlach used her bear spray on the animal to little effect. Then, she used the can as a weapon. "I took the can, I jumped to my legs and banged him on the nose and I just remember this look in his eyes... like 'what happened.'"
Severely injured, Gerlach managed to radio for help, and a coworker scared away the bear by firing gunshots into the air…
Gerlach used her bear spray on the animal to little effect.
Thats the thing. Alittle can of some steak seasoning doesn't seem like a good fail safe when your spraying it at an animal I have seen take bullets like tic tacs
I think a little bear love mist (aka bear spray) is statistically your best defense. Though in this case, it apparently didn't do much good — short of using the can as a blunt instrument.
“I never give them hell. I just tell the truth and they think it's hell.”
— Harry S. Truman
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“I never give them hell. I just tell the truth and they think it's hell.”
— Harry S. Truman
Goes to show you that all the advice and research in the world won't take the place of keeping your wits about you and getting lucky sometimes.
Man! What a story!
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