Bear Mauls Thai Man Who Allegedly Teased It With Food


A man was nearly killed after being attacked by a bear in its enclosure. The incident happened in the rural Phetchabun province in Thailand on August 2, multiple news outlets reported.

Naiphum Promratee had been hanging out with his four friends when he decided to go to the Wat Luang Phor Lamai in Phetchabun, reports stated. Monks in the temple keep wild boars in the area as well as a bear that is living in a cage. The monks care for these animals but also allow guests to feed them.

Hearing about how the temple welcomes animal feeding, Naiphum went to the temple and allegedly held a bowl of food above the bear using a rope. The animal suddenly stood on its hind legs and grabbed Naiphum. A video of the horrific attack, which already made rounds online, showed how the furry animal knocked the man unconscious and dragged him back to its cage. The bear also tore off a portion of Naiphum’s flesh. The 36-year-old victim’s friends started screaming and then rushed to his rescue.

Prior to the horrific bear attack, the temple’s head abbot reportedly said that the bear was “hungry” since they didn’t have enough food to eat. The temple had asked for donations from people so they can continue feeding the animals.

[Image by THEPALMER/iStock]

The group can be seen poking the bear with poles and even throwing water at it just so it could be distracted and let go of their friend. The bear remained unfazed; it slowly and casually walked away from the group and continued dragging the man to the cage, where it is believed that he will become its meal.

But the struggle to save Naiphum is not over just yet. One of his friends bravely got into the enclosure and tried scaring the bear away with a pole while it was in its cage. The other friends then went to retrieve Naiphum. Emergency services arrived shortly after and the victim was taken to the hospital. Naiphum has recovered and is now able to talk.

Most people who saw the video think that the man deserved his fate and that the bear only did what it was supposed to do for survival. A People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) spokesman told MailOnline in a statement that people are likely to get hurt by a hungry and provoked bear.

“Bears are powerful predators who, in the wild, spend most of their time foraging and exploring home ranges that may cover thousands of miles – and smart people respect them enough to leave them alone.”

[Image by beemore/iStock]

These creatures suffer greatly when they are caged or kept in enclosures, as opposed to being free in the wild, PETA continued. Bears that are denied freedom tend to beg for food and eventually, they’ll go out of their minds feeling frustrated by their living conditions.

It remains to be seen what happened to the bear after the attack.

Watch the video of the bear attack below. WARNING: Scenes may be upsetting for some viewers.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YImWLD2Zwc0

[Featured Image by GreenReynolds/iStock]

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