Climber fights off grizzly bear by prising its jaws from his leg
A BRITISH mountaineer attacked by a grizzly bear in the Canadian Rockies had to ‘prise apart’ its jaws to free his leg from its grip.
Greg Boswell, 24, was scaling the 3,261ft Mount Wilson with friend Nick Bullock at the weekend when the bear launched itself at them.
Writing on his blog, Mr Bullock said: ‘Greg ran out of sight and the carnivorous freight train passed me, snorting and growling and bounding.
‘It looked at me for a second, and for a second I thought this is it, but in that second the bear had spotted Greg had fallen. It bit straight though his brand new boot as if it were a carpet slipper. It lunged once more and crunched into his shin, placing a paw on his other leg before lifting him off the ground. ‘Greg grabbed the bear’s mouth and prised apart the jaws, pushing, and screaming ... “Nick, Nick, help, it’s got me”.’
Mr Bullock, from Llanberis in North Wales, said he ran to help his friend, who fled ‘screaming and shouting’ from the animal.
They both managed to escape into the surrounding forest, where they took cover and prepared to try to ‘ ambush’ the bear if it returned.
After hours in freezing temperatures, finally they found a route down the mountain and made it to the town of Banff, Alberta, where they were treated at a local hospital. Mr Boswell, from Fife, needed surgery for his injuries.
Writing on his Facebook page after his ordeal, he thanked his friend for saving him.
‘It was just as terrifying for him as it was for me. I literally owe my life to Nick,’ he said.
‘I was in shock after the incident and didn’t know what to do.
‘Nick got me out of there and drove me to the hospital. It was a friend doing as much as he could in a crazy situation to keep his friend from dying.
‘I probably would have died of hypothermia or blood loss if he hadn’t kept me going.
‘I can’t thank Nick enough, even though I know I don’t have to. Cheers bro.’