A Canadian man who was scalped by a grizzly bear in his own backyard says he is 'lucky' to have survived the attack. Jordan Carbery, a park ranger from Bella Coola, British Columbia, was attacked by a mother bear while trying to photograph her and her cub near a cherry tree on his property.
Mr Carbery told CTV News he approached the bears thinking they were two adults, but they were actually a mother and cub. When the cub broke a branch and fell, the mother charged. He ran the 12 metres to his home, but the bear caught him at the door, lifted him by the skull, and tossed him to the ground.
He fought back by kicking and punching the bear, which then released him. The bear had bitten his abdomen and torn off part of his scalp and ear, causing profuse bleeding. Without a phone signal, he drove himself to hospital, where he was airlifted to Vancouver General Hospital for surgery.
Mr Carbery is expected to be released on Wednesday, but has lost part of an ear and is still healing from wounds including damage to his abdominal wall. He said he 'takes full responsibility' for the attack, and officials determined the bear was acting in self-defence, so it will not be put down.
'She got me good. She taught me my lesson, so I appreciate that,' Mr Carbery told CTV. 'I feel like the most fortunate man on earth because not everybody gets to mess with a grizzly bear and come out of it.'
