Man prevented bear from killing him by grabbing its tongue

The owner of a woodlot near Grand Falls, New Brunswick, Canada, says he's lucky to be alive after a bear attacked him. Gilles Cyr said he was walking through his woodlot when suddenly something black came flying out of the woods at him.



“When I opened up my eyes it was on top of me - with the friggin’ noise, it’s crazy the way it growls. Right from the stomach. It’s not from the mouth, it’s just inside. His mouth was wide open right in front of my face so the last thing I remember I had his tongue in my hand and I didn’t want to let go because he was trying to fight me off.

“So he was hitting me with his claws, so I says, ‘If you're going to hurt me, I’m going to hurt you too.’ So he was biting his tongue at the same time,” he said. “For a second, I thought I was dead … that’s the first thing that comes to your mind when you open your eyes and see that friggin’ mouth full of teeth and a tongue in there. It’s like ... an extreme sport,” he said with a chuckle.


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Cyr said grabbing the bear’s tongue was just instinct. He said he managed to escape behind a tree but not before the bear clawed his belly and bit his knee. The bear followed him but then appeared to lose interest and walked away. He was treated for superficial wounds at the hospital.