Bear saves man in mountain lion attack
At least one man’s best friend is not his dog — it’s a wild bear that saved him from a mountain lion attack.
Thor, left, and Boo, denizens of the Detroit Zoo, recreate the epic bear/mountain lion scrap. (AP photo)
ParadisePost.com reports the unusual tale of Robert Biggs, 69, who was roaming the woods of north-central California Monday when the giant cat jumped him.
Biggs, a photographer who enjoys getting close to nature, but probably not this close, was initially saved by his backpack, which was “up around his head” and prevented the panther from landing a mortal blow.
After tussling with the panther for a few seconds, a bear appeared and battled the mountain lion for about 15 seconds, Biggs said, before the cat fled.
The bear left Biggs alone, and he suffered only relatively minor bites, bruises and bite marks.
Biggs told the Paradise, Calif., publication that he had been taking pictures of the bear and her cub before the mountain lion attacked him. He said he had taken pictures of the mother bear before, and had even played with an earlier cub.
Sounds like he owes momma bear a framed family portrait.
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78 comments Add your comment
TMartin's 4:06 post is hillarious
March 28th, 2012
4:39 pm
Enter your comments here
David
March 28th, 2012
4:43 pm
The bear was protecting her cub. End of story.
rydell
March 28th, 2012
4:43 pm
He’s lucky he was Bear-Backed!!! LMAO
Silly Rabbit
March 28th, 2012
5:01 pm
TMartin’s 4:06 is not hilarious, and only a PUNK such as yourself would hide like you are!
230gr Full Metal Jacket
March 28th, 2012
5:03 pm
David is correct. The bear only attacked the Mountain Lion because it was perceived as a threat to her cub, NOT because she gave a flying **** about the man. Despite what some tree-huggers want to believe, bears and humans are NEVER a good mix and there are NO known species that will not attack humans if they feel provoked or if they feel that their territory is being infringed upon. Admittedly, very few species will actively hunt humans except polar bears, but even a “harmless” black bear such as can be found in the North Georgia mountains is a very dangerous animal if the situation isn’t just right. Humans, especially hikers, should always show a bit of common sense and give ALL bears a wide berth.
jethro
March 28th, 2012
5:07 pm
That story makes my day
Cayce
March 28th, 2012
5:11 pm
It was likely a black bear and not a grizzly or he may have ended up as bear food.
Steve
March 28th, 2012
6:11 pm
I think Chae hit it on the head and most folks aren’t even paying attention.
Put simply, the Mountain Lion was encroaching on the Bears territory and was a far bigger threat to her cubs that a tree-huggin’ photographer. End of story.
And despite what Jrev said, bears can become dependent on humans if from the birth and if not challenged can co-exist thru adulthood .. though anyone stupid enough to risk it would be about as stupid as living with a chimpanzee or gorilla.
woodrow
March 28th, 2012
6:15 pm
The bear probably had dibs on his arse. Saving him up for a nice snack.
Cmon man
March 28th, 2012
6:23 pm
So instead of admitting that the hooker he was having an affair with caused the scratches/bruises he came up with this?
C’mon man