There’s a reason why Stephen Colbert has dubbed bears as the greatest threat to America. Of course, since he’s a TV comedian he’s obviously joking, but bears are nothing to be trifled with. Three campers found this out the hard way at the popular Soda Butte camp ground outside of Yellowstone National Park in rural Montana. In spite of taking all the necessary precautions to defend against unwanted bear attention, one person was killed and two others badly injured in an attack by bear, believed to be a grizzly bear.
“I screamed, he bit harder, I screamed harder, he continued to bite,” said bear attack survivor Deb Freele of London, Ontario. Once she realized screaming wasn’t helping, she changed tactics: “I told myself, play dead. I went totally limp. As soon as I went limp, I could feel his jaws get loose and then he let me go.” The names of the deceased man, and the other injured man, were not released.
Given the mass of a grizzly or black bear, the bears most likely to attack you up Yellowstone way, a gun is no real defense. Unless you’re hauling around a .50 caliber Desert Eagle or some kind of machine gun nest, all your average hand-held weapon will do is annoy a bear on its way to maul you. The best defense is pepper spray or mace; it’s a continuous stream and easier to hit the bear’s eyes with. Just make sure you’re not down wind!
Tags: Soda Butte, Montana, bear mauls campers, bear attack kills one and injures two others, Deb Freele, Yellowstone National Park, animal attacks, unusual animals