71-Year-Old Man Survives Kodiak Brown Bear Attack

Harrowing story on Kodiak Island, where a brown bear attack left one man lucky to be alive, with his bear spray can quite possibly the lifeline to his surviving when the bear returned. Here’s more from the Anchorage Daily News:

Zimmerman had been jogging along the trail when he was attacked from behind, said Nathan Svoboda, a wildlife biologist in Kodiak for the Alaska Department of Fish and Game. Zimmerman had seen the bear from the corner of his eye before the attack but didn’t have time to use his bear spray, Svoboda said.

The bear mauled Zimmerman and then returned, but Svoboda said Zimmerman was ready with the bear spray. He aimed it at the charging bear, sprayed it and “that scared the bear off for good,” Svoboda said.

“His bear spray quite possibly saved his life,” Svoboda said.