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Bear Attack: How To Survive, ‘The Revenant’ Style

By Stacey Cole
Published on: 16:26 PST, Feb 10, 2016

Bear attack victims are fortunate to be alive, even if they are not fortunate to have been attacked in the first place. Perhaps, with the recent release of The Revenant, the topic of a bear attack has become a hot one, but really, these types of attacks have been happening all along.

Forbes reports that for someone to survive a bear attack the way Hugh Glass did in the movie (and in real life) would be to play dead, which was what ultimately saved Glass’ life. Richard P. Smith, the author of “Understanding Michigan’s Black Bear,” explained that grizzly bears are one of the most aggressive animals alive.

“A grizzly bear is one of the most aggressive animals you can encounter, especially one with cubs.”

Smith said that eventually the bear that attacked Glass died due to the gunshot Glass managed to land on it, but not before being angered and attacking. Glass’ only choice was to play dead.

“The female was trying to protect her cubs. He had no choice but to play dead.”

Smith also revealed how the average person should play dead if they ever find themselves in the unfortunately position of being in a bear attack.

“Curl up in a fetal position and put your hands around the back of your head; very often that will work. The bear may bite and test you, and you may experience some injuries, but the injuries won’t be as severe as the ones you’ll get if you try to fight the bear.”

Surviving a bear attack isn’t unheard of. Many people have done so, but generally not without some sort of severe injury. How do people get themselves in these situations? Sometimes it is just a matter of being in the wrong place at the wrong time, as was the case with Greg Boswell. The New York Post reports that Boswell just saw The Revenant, knowing that the bear attack scene was part of the movie, and even though he survived a bear attack last November.

Bowell’s bear attack happened in the Canadian Rockies.

“I don’t know whether it was sound or instinct, but suddenly I looked over my shoulder and saw this bear running full pelt towards us, its paws bounding in the snow. It grabbed my leg in its teeth, making this super-loud crunching sound and lifted me up so only my shoulders were on the ground. It was crazy how much strength it had.”

According to 9 News Australia, not every bear attack is stumbled upon. Sometimes people do some pretty stupid things that result in a bear attack. A perfect example of this was a bear attack in Russia that resulted from a drunk man attempted to pet a caged bear, even though his friend warmed him not to.

“You f***ing idiot, don’t do it.”

The bear grabbed onto the man’s arm and ripped it off at the elbow. Click here to see the video, but beware, it’s pretty graphic.

Then there are the people who lie about being attacked by a wild animal. NBC4 reports that Michael Savage recently went to authorities in Tennessee and said he was involved in a bear attack.

After an investigation, authorities found there was no evidence to support Savage’s claim and he was arrested and charged with making a false report. It is pretty obvious that making up a story like a bear attack is very dangerous.

In the end, surviving a bear attack is a lucky thing, something that requires strength of mind, body, and spirit. Naturally, the best thing is to hope for is to not have to face a bear attack in the first place.

[Photo by Shutterstock]

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