Man survives bear attack in New Brunswick

A 62-year-oldNew Brunswick man is thankful to be alive after being attacked by a large black bear that shook him like a "rag doll," says his sister.

Jeff Lyons, of McNamee,has deep teeth wounds on his upper right shoulder and in the middle of hisback,and lacerations under his left ribcage "where the skin has been all torn off" by the bear'sclaws, said Cheryl LyonsDudley.

"He said it still just feels like a dream;that it's just unreal. He keeps going over in his mind,like, 'Did this really happen?'" said LyonsDudley, who saw her brother just a few hours after he was attacked outside hisremote camp in NewBandononSept. 29.

Lyonswas cleaning up behind thecampshortly before lunchwhen he caught sight of the mother bear and her cub out of the corner of his eye, said LyonsDudley.

He immediately turned away, but the bear was "upon his back in an instant and brought him down to the ground and started mauling him."

"He was screaming and flailing his arms, trying to beat the bear off,but she picked him up by the back and was shaking him," she said.

Lyonsnoticed a piece of wood on the ground and managed to grab it while the bear reared up, growling and showing her teeth, said LyonsDudley.

When the bear lunged at him again, he hit her across the face with the board several times and she turned and ran into the woods.

"That's all he had to defend himself. Had it not been for that, he doesn't feel that he would have had any chance of survival at allbecause of the fierceness of the bear and the strength when it picked him up; he said it was unbelievable the strength, and the bear was very agitated.

"So he just believes if it hadn't been for that, when the bear came back at him that it could have possibly dragged him in the woods or he feels maybe mauled [him]to death."

Lyons Dudleybelievesthe light sweater and jacket he was wearing also spared him from "getting ripped to pieces."

Attacks rare

Lyons, whowas treated at the medical clinic in Doaktown, was in shock after his traumatic "near death experience," his sister said.

He didn't sleep at all that night because he kept playing the incident over and over in his mind, and sleep was difficult over the next few nights because of the pain, she told CBC's Maritime Noon.

I don't think we're much a defence against a big black bear especially that has been agitated and has a cub with it.- Cheryl Lyons Dudley

But he has since gotten some more rest and is coping well, said Lyons Dudley. He's even been back to his camp, where Energy and Resource Development officials have set up two live traps, she said.

Although bears are common in the area, attacks are rare, said Lyons Dudley.The doctor at the medical clinic told her brother he hadn't treatedany other bear attack patientsin his estimated 30 or 40 years of practise, she said.

"We believe it was because the cub was with her and she was spooked and was protecting her baby."

Still, Lyons Dudleywants area residents to be aware and alert.

"I don't think we're much a defence against a big black bear especially that has been agitated and has a cub with it," she said. "I don't think we would stand much of a chance."

There are about 17,000 black bears in New Brunswick and people should be aware it's an active time of year for them, saidKevin Craig, of the big game, furbearer and fisheries section of Energy and Resource Development.

"Bears are feeding very heavily, trying to get a lot of calories before going into winter sleep," he said.

But"it's very unusualfor a bear to actually make physical contact with a person,"stressed Craig."We have maybe oneevery three to fiveyears maybe."

The worst attack he could recall in his estimated 30 years on the job was in 1997 in Salt Springs. A woman was out walking her dogs when the dogs chased after a bear andthe bear attacked them. The dogs ran back to the house, past the woman, who was then attacked by the bear.

Craig said Lyons did the right thing by fighting back when the bear attackedhim. When a bear or any other animal makes physical contact, people should take whatever steps they can to protect themselves, he said.