Man claims a bear saved him from mountain lion attack.

[MacNut]

When Robert Biggs finished gazing at a cute, cuddly family of black bears and turned to continue on his day-hike in northern California on Monday, he thought he was safe.

The 69-year-old man from the town of Paradise was anything but.

He'd been watching a mother bear, her yearling and a newborn from about 40 feet away, but he had no idea that he was being stalked by a ferocious mountain lion. As he turned to leave, the cat pounced on his backpack with all four paws.

"He grabbed me from behind and knocked me to the ground," Biggs told The Huffington Post. "I was on my knees. I had my rock pick out because i was on a steep incline, and I smashed the cat in the head with it. He screamed, but he didn't let go."

His backpack and rock pick were the only things standing between him and certain death, Biggs said. He raised his weapon again for another swing at the hulking feline.

"That's when a blur on my left side grabbed the lion by its throat -- turns out it was the momma bear," he said. "I heard a tremendous screeching, some growling noises."

Biggs said that the bear ripped the cat's grip from his backpack, and the two titans clashed for another 15 seconds. The bear won the battle, probably because it "outweighed the cat 400 pounds to 100 pounds." The cat ran away, and the bear went back down on all fours, humbly making eye contact with Biggs before regrouping with her young.

Biggs -- who had been hiking the same two-mile trail in the Bean Soup Flat area for years -- left with a few scratches and bruises on his arm. Being a mountain man, he refused his wife's pleas that he go to the hospital, and instead put some peroxide on his wounds.


He told The Huffington Post that he owes everything to that bear.

"I'm 100-percent sure it did want to save my life," he said. "We made eye contact. I'd seen the bears before and I know she knew who I was."

Mountain lion attacks in California are reportedly rare. There were only 14 verified attacks on humans between 1890 and 2007, according to the California Department of Fish and Game's website.

http://main.aol.com/2012/03/29/bear-...n_1391286.html

[Macman45]

They always say the golden rule of thumb with bears is NOT to make eye contact. If you do you run the risk of being attacked, but if you are not, a bond can be established. That is perhaps what happened here. The guy had been observing these bears for a while, and the mother knew he was around...She was, however far more likely to be protecting her young than going out of her way to save his life.

Good story though.

[.Andy]

I'll be honest (and a grump) and say it all sounds like a load of bollocks. Bruises look less like a mountain lion attack and more like an elderly man who had a fall and takes regular aspirin.

And it is in the huffington.....

[eric/]

Is is perfect for a little inside joke I have with a few friends. Good post.

[snberk103]

Dang. I had read the title as a 'beer' saved the man's life. I kept waiting for the beer ....

[MacNut]

Originally Posted by .Andy

I'll be honest (and a grump) and say it all sounds like a load of bollocks. Bruises look less like a mountain lion attack and more like an elderly man who had a fall and takes regular aspirin.

And it is in the Huffington.....

Huffington isn't the only one that has the story, and I admit to being skeptical as well since there are no other witnesses.

[Fazzy]

Originally Posted by .Andy

I'll be honest (and a grump) and say it all sounds like a load of bollocks. Bruises look less like a mountain lion attack and more like an elderly man who had a fall and takes regular aspirin.

And it is in the huffington.....

Read it the other day in sky news aswell

[RawBert]

Looks like the mountain lion 'hulking feline' bit his thumb off.

[carlgo]

Hoax.

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/articl...SPGO1NSU3S.DTL

In case the link doesn't work, the wounds are inconsistent, as is everything else. He accuses Fish and Game dept as Gestapo, makes all sorts of claims that he is One with wild animals and plays with them, etc. Claims about his healing powers... the more he talks, the less you can believe.

All bogus, yet fun reading about. My favorite outdoor hoax continues to be the Bigfoot in the freezer one. Absolutely guaranteed to be proven a hoax, a gorilla suit in the freezer, yet people with something to lose went ahead with it.

[Dr Kevorkian94]

Good thing a sea-rhinoceros didn't hear, he would of been in big trouble

[obeygiant]

The guy was probably try to catch the bear by digging large hole, filling it with ash, and then lining it with peas.

[Yvan256]

Wow, I'm NOT going to buy Mountain Lion for my Mac mini, they're too dangerous!

[Consultant]

Originally Posted by carlgo

Hoax.

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/articl...SPGO1NSU3S.DTL

In case the link doesn't work, the wounds are inconsistent, as is everything else. He accuses Fish and Game dept as Gestapo, makes all sorts of claims that he is One with wild animals and plays with them, etc. Claims about his healing powers... the more he talks, the less you can believe.

All bogus, yet fun reading about. My favorite outdoor hoax continues to be the Bigfoot in the freezer one. Absolutely guaranteed to be proven a hoax, a gorilla suit in the freezer, yet people with something to lose went ahead with it.

Wow. That guy seems nutty.

[codymac]

Originally Posted by Consultant

Wow. That guy seems nutty.

I thinks we should to conclude that his meds fell out of his backpack when the puma attacked. He's clearly not taking them.

[jpine]

IFF the story is true, I suspect momma bear saw the cat as a treat to her young and acted accordingly as opposed to deliberately going out of her way to save the man.

[iJohnHenry]

Originally Posted by jpine

IFF the story is true, I suspect momma bear saw the cat as a treat to her young and acted accordingly as opposed to deliberately going out of her way to save the man.

And observation mentioned by Macman45 in Post #2.

[MikaelThib]

this clearly hints at OS X 10.9 Bear followed by OS X Polar Bear ... Following the pattern of the Leopard and Lion.

[mscriv]

Originally Posted by MacNut

I admit to being skeptical as well since there are no other witnesses.

What do you mean "no other witnesses", the mountain lion and bear obviously saw the whole thing. It's my understanding that thus far they have simply declined to comment.

[blueroom]

Pics or it didn't happen.

[jared_kipe]

Saved him for later.

[Apple Key]

Bad press for Apple's upcoming OS.

[RenoG]

Originally Posted by mscriv

What do you mean "no other witnesses", the mountain lion and bear obviously saw the whole thing. It's my understanding that thus far they have simply declined to comment.

[throAU]

Hmm... probably fighting over food....

[snberk103]

Originally Posted by bchen1977

... i have read bears are not that dangerous if not threatened and intruded by humans. ....

Not entirely true. Polar bears will eat you if you they hungry. Even a little bit hungry. Humans are seen as just another source of food, and you aren't the biggest or meanest thing they eat. Unless you have a gun. And know how to use it. A Grizzly may try to eat you if they are really hungry, and may attack you just because they are grumpy (like being sick or injured, or having just woken up from a nap).

There's an old anecdote from around here, where we have black bears and occasionally Grizzlies.
1) When walking around in the forest, carry a walking stick with bells (the jingling warns the bear to your approach) and carry pepper spray just in case.
2) Pay attention to any scat you find on the trail to determine if there is a bear, and what kind they are. A black bear's scat will often include berries and the bones of small mammals. A Grizzly bear's scat will often include bells and smell like pepper.