A grizzly bear was standing on his back in Grand Teton National Park and went in for the ‘kill bite.’ He survived to tell the story

Marnie Hunter, CNN

(CNN) — Shayne Burke fto retired a scream.

A grizzly carnivore had conscionable taken a “good chomp correct to nan bone” connected his leg.

The carnivore dropped him.

“And past she was up connected my back, and past conscionable went to wound down connected nan backmost of my head,” Burke said arsenic he described nan last moments of what could person been a deadly carnivore attack.

Burke and his wife, Chloe, were connected time 8 of a three-week travel retired West from their location successful Massachusetts successful May 2024. They stopped disconnected astatine Signal Mountain successful Grand Teton National Park successful Wyoming to look for Great Gray Owls. Chloe went backmost to nan car to get immoderate h2o for their dog.

Burke was hustling backmost to nan car done nan woods a small later and figures he had “a generous 3 seconds” betwixt spotting a grizzly carnivore cub and getting attacked by that bear’s mama.

He’s been deployed to Iraq, faced a encephalon tumor and been savaged by a grizzly bear. Shayne Burke is simply a survivor. He’s besides an avid outdoorsman and Army reservist who believes successful preparation.

His woman is simply a licensed EMT pinch an basal expertise to compartmentalize, and Burke was clutching a tin of carnivore spray erstwhile he encountered that angry mama bear.

These things saved his life.

‘I conscionable benignant of heard her huffing and puffing’

There was nary clip to deploy his carnivore spray erstwhile he spotted nan charging bear, truthful Burke dove to nan ground, he told CNN’s Ed Lavandera.

The carnivore spot his shoulder, and “I conscionable benignant of heard her huffing and puffing erstwhile I went down to nan ground,” Burke recounted.

He covered nan backmost of his cervix pinch some arms and played dead, which isn’t easy erstwhile you person a “400 lb carnivore chomping astatine you,” Burke said. “I did, successful my opinion, a decent capable job. I’m still alive.”

But he was still making immoderate noise, he said, and nan carnivore “started biting my near limb a bunch, and past she spot my correct leg. … She picked maine up,” he said.

He stiffened and planted his elbows into nan crushed successful nan prone position that parkland accusation kiosks station astir for carnivore onslaught survival. “And I really was conscionable trying to enactment connected nan crushed arsenic overmuch arsenic I could truthful she couldn’t flip maine complete and get immoderate of my vitals.”

The astir achy bite, nan 1 that went “right to nan bone” and elicited Burke’s scream, brought nan carnivore successful for what Burke believes was expected to beryllium nan “kill bite.”

Park rangers and wildlife biologists visited nan tract of nan grizzly carnivore onslaught connected May 20 to stitchery information. | NPS

She spot his manus and wrist, which were positioned complete his cervix to protect his arteries, and past he heard a pop.

“I thought she spot into my skull and past … I felt nan lukewarm sensation flowing down my look and my cervix and my back, and I was like, that’s your blood. And past abruptly I perceive her thump, thump, listen thump, thump. Just moving away.”

Fortunately, it wasn’t humor connected his neck. It was nan carnivore spray he’d been gripping successful his manus arsenic he covered nan backmost of his neck. The carnivore spot into nan can. Burke believes that wound saved his life.

‘Please don’t termination nan bear’

The onslaught lasted little than 2 minutes, Burke thinks. He went into “pure flight” mode, putting immoderate region betwixt himself and nan guidance nan carnivore had gone and managed to scope his woman by phone.

He credits Chloe’s calming and assured EMT training pinch helping to support him alive. She coached him to stem his bleeding pinch makeshift tourniquets he fashioned retired his mini battalion and different equipment. Eventually, he was airlifted to information by US National Park rescue rangers.

But earlier he near nan woods, he asked rangers what would hap to nan bear.

“I was like, ‘Please don’t termination nan bear.’ Like she was conscionable protecting her cub. And I was successful her world,” he said.

Park rangers and wildlife biologists investigated nan segment nan time aft nan incident.

“Based connected interviews pinch nan injured visitant and grounds recovered successful nan area, it is apt that nan mauling progressive an big female grizzly carnivore pinch astatine slightest 1 older cub,” nan National Park Service said.

NPS said nan bear’s behaviour appeared to beryllium “a protect action,” and that “no further guidance action is warranted astatine this time.”

Burke won’t fto this incident dissuade him from enjoying nan outdoors, he said.

A photograph provided by nan National Park Service shows nan airlift cognition aft a carnivore attacked Shayne Burke successful Grand Teton National Park successful Wyoming. | NPS

“What’s nan constituent of surviving without surviving pinch a small consequence and really enjoying your life and being successful nan moment?” he said, while acknowledging that nan arena has shaken him.

“I would very overmuch like, for illustration a five-year grace play of conscionable thing bad happening.”

Bear state preparation

The mates sewage joined astir 2 years ago, not agelong earlier Shayne had encephalon surgery, and they were yet enjoying their delayed honeymoon

They had a caller outer telephone that they sewage for their trip, and nan avid stone climbers ever person first-aid supplies connected hand. Those 2 items are nan only existent root of regret for Burke. Chloe had nan outer telephone pinch her erstwhile she returned to nan car, and Shayne’s first assistance kid was successful his different battalion backmost successful nan car.

But he was different much equipped than astir to past an attack.

“The number 1 point that kept maine live during nan onslaught was reference and knowing what to do successful nan arena of a carnivore onslaught and being prepared pinch nan carnivore spray,” he said successful a Facebook station astir nan incident.

Lee Whittlesey, Yellowstone National Park’s erstwhile parkland historian, advises group to hike successful groups of astatine slightest three.

“Make noise. Don’t hike silently. Carry carnivore spray,” Whittlesey said. “That’s darn adjacent an robust clad rule, these days.”

Click here for much connected carnivore onslaught endurance and nan quality betwixt grizzly and achromatic carnivore strategies.