'He's eating my brain. I can feel it,' recalls bear attack survivor

[life imitates really bad art for a change]

CBC News http://www.cbc.ca/canada/british-columbia/story/2008/05/16/bc-bear-mauls-man.html?ref=rss

A 53-year-old man in Saanich, B.C., managed to drive to safety after a grizzly bear mauled his head and tossed him to the ground in the woods near Bella Coola, about 700 kilometres north of Vancouver.

The attack took place on May 3 when Brent Case was on a surveying job along the rugged Central Coast area.

"He came up from behind me and started gnawing at the back of my head. It just started ripping the scalp off the head," Case told CBC News on Friday.

"The pain was so excruciating that I don't know why I didn't yell or scream, but I just said, 'I have to play dead.'"

Case dropped down in the fetal position and tried to hang on, but the adult grizzly ripped into his left arm, leaving ugly wounds.

Brent Case says the grizzly attacked his arms before attacking the back of his head. (CBC) The bear then went for his right arm and bit through the muscle, just missing a major artery, Case said.

"He's eating my gristle and he's gnawing on my head. I was saying, 'He's eating my brains. I can feel it.' I know it's happening and I said, 'God! I hope it gets over soon'" he said.

"I said, 'I'm too young to die. I don't want to die,' and then he stopped."

The bear suddenly seemed to have enough and pushed him into the mud, still grunting and snorting, Case said.

The bear then moved off after the attack. With the grizzly only metres away, Case said he carefully made his way to his nearby truck.

Drives 25 km to safety

His hands were so swollen and bloody, he could barely get his keys out of his pocket, said Case, an experienced outdoorsman.

"I knew that if I didn't drive and have the fortitude to control things, I was going to die."

Case then drove 25 agonizing kilometres to the closest town to seek help. He finally reached a gas station and asked the attendant to call for an ambulance.

"I think my brains are hanging out," he said. "I don't know what's happening here, but I'm alive. I started wiggling my fingers and toes."

A local game warden later found the bear and shot at him, killing him.

Case is now recovering from numerous wounds and has received plastic surgery.

"I said [to the doctors], 'There's nothing hanging out that you're not telling me?' They said, 'No, you're OK'"

"They started using the peroxide and, 'Ooh,' I said, 'that hurt more than the bear!'"

We don't kill bears in Canada anymore, and we haven't shot an asshole since Heather Mills was around and yapping about seals.

Heather is real lucky that we hit her on that stupid looking peg leg she wears. I could have gotten ugly!

"Eric Gisin" wrote in message:

A clear case of habitat encroachment. What would you do if you were a grizzly bear foraging about and a walking kabob just happened by? Too bad the guy didn't see it coming, if he'd had a can of pepper spray he could have defended himself. Pepper spray is a lot more effective than a firearm. The bear would also have been made more wary of humans in the future.

You sould read about the ant invasion in Texas!

'Crazy' Ant Invasion Frying Computer Equipment

By Andrew R Hickey, ChannelWeb 1:29 PM EDT Thu. May. 15, 2008 There's a new bug crawling around that can wreak real havoc on computer equipment. And this bug isn't the kind you get through an email or an infected instant message, but an actual, physical insect. To battle this bug, it's more likely that the Orkin man is the one you'll call instead of McAfee,Symantec (NSDQ: SYMC) or some other computer security specialist.

Dubbed the 'crazy rasberry ant,' the flea-sized pests have been causing power surges and frying computers and other electronics around Houston for days. By some estimates billions of ants have swarmed the area.

Along with crippling computers at some homes and business, this infestation of exoskeleton-bearing annoyances has ruined pumps at sewage pumping stations, destroyed gas meters and caused fire alarms to malfunction, according to the Associated Press. And while no major problems have been reported, the crazy critters have also been spotted at NASA's Johnson Space Center and close to the Hobby Airport.

The crazy rasberry ants, called crazy because of their affinity for moving erratically in search for food as opposed to in orderly lines like normal ants, are a new species believed to have arrived in Houston via a cargo ship possibly from South Africa or the Caribbean.

And these ants, which get the rasberry moniker because it is the last name of the first exterminator to combat them, are also atypical in that it appears over the counter sprays and other pest control mechanisms are futile to thwart them.

Along with their craziness, the hairy, reddish-brown creepy crawlies also have a bizarre love for electronics, invading them in droves and in some cases causing power surges that can render a computer useless. They've been found inside hard drives and caught burrowing into laptops, in some cases making them not work at all.

It's not incredibly clear why these nutty buggers favor electronics, but researchers have said that ants have been known to gnaw through cable insulation on power lines and have been congregating on metal conductors, ultimately causing shorts in electrical lines, junction boxes and traffic and street lights. In the Texas heat, air conditioners have also become a prime target.

And while it's not entirely known where this electric attraction arises from, a study performed by the University of Texas has said that ants, of both the crazy rasberry and other varieties, tend to prefer DC currents to AC currents, though it's unclear exactly why. Other theories indicate that while some ants may be naturally attracted to electricity, others may find crumbs that have fallen near or into a computer or crawling inside to build a nest in a warm, protect spot.

While Houston-based solution provider Reality Works has yet to hear from any clients that have come down with rasberry ant fever, CEO and chief engineer Jamal Thompson said ants fouling up computer equipment and electronics isn't wholly uncommon.

"It's just like with rats," he said. "The ants eat that inner lining of the cable because it's sweet."

Thompson said ants typically go after regular Cat 5 cable that runs on the ground to computers and can also build nests in walls and other areas where cable runs.

"Once they get through the cable they can short it out and kill the computer," he said.

"Chom Noamsky" wrote in message news:J_CXj.3135$KB3.1125@edtnps91...

A clear case of loony left anti-gun influence in Canadian government. It's a fucking bear, and if it's aggressive you kill it. Bears don't rule.

In the US, a wilderness surveyer, park-warden, customs officer would all carry guns. Here in Canada, we only gave the latter two the right under the Conservatives.

"Eric Gisin" wrote in message news:[email]...

Your urban great white hunter is exposing itself. Most bear encounters like this one are defensive attacks, usually initiated by startling the bear. Grizzlies have poor eyesight, they will charge first and ask questions later. Someone who goes out working in grizzly territory should at least learn proper conduct first. Don't surprise bears, you do that by announcing your presence with constant noise (play a radio, talk loudly, tie bells to your boots, etc). Keep an eye out for bear sign, and if you see indications bears are in the area then you definitely shouldn't be working alone and should seriously reconsider being there in the first place. In fact it's forest service policy not to work on a block if there are any signs of bears in the vicinity.

I used to be a "wilderness surveryor", most guys I knew in the industry thought packing a firearm was a nuisance. If you are "bear aware" you can work quite safely in the bush, it just means paying a little bit of attention to your surroundings and taking a few precautions. Neither firearms nor pepper spray are a guaranteed way of stopping bears (pepper spray is field proven to be the more effective defense). People who pack firearms in the bush tend to pay less attention to their surroundings (the firearm gives them a false sense of security) and are more likely to have adverse animal encounters. The same thing happens with people who carry handguns, it gives them a false sense of secutiry and they get themselves into situations they would otherwise wouldn't. The great thing about pepper spray is more often than not the human and the bear both walk away from the encounter unharmed. Dumbasses like you think all you have to do is point a gun at a bear and it drops dead, in reality it's never that simple.

"Chom Noamsky" wrote in message news:_2LXj.3256$KB3.2279@edtnps91...

Wow, based on that article I'm pretty sure I'd rather have a gun:

"I can authoritatively state, however, that field results alone are too few and too confounded to base a sound decision on. Not only do we lack sufficient incidents for each brand (of bear pepper spray) but also have had contradictory results. For example, a USGS employee in Alaska surprised a bear a number of years ago and the brand of bear pepper spray she dispensed into the bear�s face apparently �failed� to halt the attack. She received injuries after the bear charged through the spray cloud and assaulted her. However, this same brand �successfully� thwarted an attack just recently here and has been very successful in other situations. In the case of the former attack, perhaps the bear would have injured the USGS field biologist even worse had she not sprayed it at all. Who knows, yet I�d be reluctant to write the brand off as ineffective."

In another case:

"In the other failure the bear did not leave the immediate vicinity of the hiker (it was only 15 feet away) when sprayed directly into its face. Consequently this well-armed hiker fired a bullet over the bear�s head, apparently providing enough reasons then for the bear to turn and leave."

Also, the graph shown for encounters with bears, armed versus unarmed lean in favor of being armed: You're more than twice as likely to be slightly injured, more than twice as likely to be severely injured and more likely to be killed if you are unarmed.

I think I'll choose the firearm thank you very much.

"Chom Noamsky" wrote in message news:J_CXj.3135$KB3.1125@edtnps91...

firearm.

Have you ever seen bear spray used against an angry female grizzly? You have to be within six feet of the bear, which is a rather intimidating range to be in, especially if its in a full gallop, or you happen to be down wind.. you might just end up pissing it off even more. Better hope you remembered to shake it, and remove the safety too... oh, and don't slip on that rock as you instinctive back away, either...

If you want to trust a can of seasoning to protect yourself, go right ahead... more power to ya... But i'll stick with a firearm thanks... Usually the thunderous bang will send most of them packing, but if not, at least you can deal with the threat at a safe range.

Of course the government seems to be of the opinion that defending yourself lawfully, regardless of your opponent, is something illegal. Which is the height of stupidity, of course.

"Semper Lib�r� ." wrote in message news:%IKXj.3249$KB3.333@edtnps91...

I can tell you and "Half-Baked" have never actually worked in bear country nor have you had any experince with bears.

A couple of "urban gentleman firearm dandies" you are.

"Chom Noamsky" wrote in message news:C5LXj.3257$KB3.1345@edtnps91...

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Nice theory, but wrong.. I once came within 30 feet of a black bear, and after we first got over the shock of seeing each other, we parted on good terms. You'd be surprised how fast you can get a gun out of its holster in times like that. Besides, it still comes down to a personal choice... so i'm not going to legislate away your right to carry a can of seasoning if that is your weapon of choice.

I personally have yet to meet any conservation officer that would exchange his gun for a can of pepper, but if that is what they want, they should be free to go for it - its their skin after all.

Perhaps you should re-read some of that material you posted in this thread before you get too entrenched in your choice of weapon....

For example, a USGS employee in Alaska surprised a bear a number of years ago and the brand of bear pepper spray she dispensed into the bear's face apparently "failed" to halt the attack. She received injuries after the bear charged through the spray cloud and assaulted her.

"In the other failure the bear did not leave the immediate vicinity of the hiker (it was only 15 feet away) when sprayed directly into its face. Consequently this well-armed hiker fired a bullet over the bear's head, apparently providing enough reasons then for the bear to turn and leave."

Also, the graph shown for encounters with bears, armed versus unarmed lean in favor of being armed: You're more than twice as likely to be slightly injured, more than twice as likely to be severely injured and more likely to be killed if you are unarmed.

"Semper Lib�r� ." wrote in message news:s9nYj.3021$Yp.1160@edtnps92...

"Despite persistent doubts among hikers and campers venturing into bear country, you're better off with an eight-ounce can of bear spray than a gun, according to an analysis of 20 years of data.

Canadian and U.S. researchers announced Wednesday that they found the spray stopped aggressive bear behaviour in 92 per cent of the cases, whether that behaviour was an attack or merely rummaging for food. Guns were effective about 67 per cent of the time."

"Chom Noamsky" wrote in message news:WrnYj.3674$KB3.120@edtnps91...

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Why do you keep feeling you need to justify your decision to use bear spray? I told you already you have a right to choose whichever you prefer, and i support your decision.

Most of the claims i have seen in favour of pepper spray over firearms are done by the people selling the spray, but its certainly better than nothing. Some determined bears simply are not stopped by it, and wind is a factor with the spray too. The only drawback a firearm has is a lack of kinetic energy with the smaller calibers, which are thrown into the mix of "pepper v. firearms" rather than "pepper v 357 magnum"... Some poor kid out plinking cans with his Dad's 22lr is probably going to have better luck using it as a club, unless he is a good shot.... but a 9mm or larger will kill, incapacitate or discourage any bear, and you have 14 more cracks at it (from a safe distance) with a pistol, versus a can of spray.

At least you are finally arguing for the fact that we have such a right to carry weapons for lawful defence, whether you are actually aware of that fact or not.

"Semper Lib�r� ." wrote in message:

Is that how it appears in your mind? I'm just stating the facts because you keep perpetuating your gun myths. You believe the guy holding the gun can never be wrong (even when it comes to bears) but in this case you are wrong. It isn't about choice, it's a simple factual matter of what works better for self-preservation (and preservation of the bear).

Is killing the bear the only consideration for you? I take into consideration that I am in the bear's natural habitat where the bear has a right to exist and that I am the one trespassing. If every bear encounter ended up with the bear being shot then they would soon be extinct. These are magnificent wild animals that have nothing to fear but habitat encroachment and urban cowboys who like to pretend they are wild west frontiersmen.

I was wondering when your agenda was going to clumsily expose itself.

"Chom Noamsky" wrote in message news:91tYj.3770$KB3.2728@edtnps91...

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LOL! Maybe this last sentence explains everything now... You just want a non-lethal means to defend yourself. Why didn't you just come out and say that from the beginning, in stead of piling on the statistical bandwagon with a bunch of nonsense from the people that make the spray?

Maybe we need a bear taser for you guys? Oh, wait... that's still a bit controversial isn't it?

I hope you feel the same way about these creatures when one of them bites off your arm, or the arm of one of your children. Then you can tell them how you made your choice based on not having the stomach to kill a wild animal that chose to attack you.

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It could be.... If i can't deter it with other means, like firing a shot near it. I already told you i had an encounter with a bear several years ago, and we both walked away. There is nothing immoral about killing an animal that attacks you.

That's a rather stupid consideration, since man has as the same right to wander the wilderness that any other animal has.