Joe Pendry, 63, lost a finger and had part of his head scalped in the brutal bear attack where he managed to make it out alive after blasting the animal’s leg with a firearm
A man who had his head in a bear’s jaw has died after initially surviving the horror attack.
Joe Pendry, 63, had been hunting elk close to Fort Steele, northeast of Cranbrook, in British Columbia, in Canada, when he came across a bear and her two cubs on October 2. After initially surviving the savage attack, his wife Janice, said on Saturday he had died of a blood clot.
Shortly after the attack, she told news outlets that Joe shot at the charging bear’s leg but that it kept on coming and, at one point, it wrapped its teeth around her husband’s head. She said Joe punched and even bit the bear’s ear as he fought for his life.
READ MORE: Teen fighting for his life after being mauled by shark at fishing hotspotREAD MORE: Man’s head ripped off by bear while foraging found with horror ‘scratch marks’ on body
Joe suffered horrendous injuries, including his lips and part of his scalp being torn clean off. He also lost a finger, suffered a broken nose and cheekbones as well as broken arms and ribs.
After managing to fend the bear off, Joe called 911 and his son, asking for help. He was later flown to Kelowna General Hospital, where he underwent numerous surgeries on his face and other parts of his body, reports CBC.
The British Columbia Officer Service said in a Facebook post, that it had come across a dead grizzly bear in the area near where the attack happened. It added the bear was responsible.
Pendry said the bear had died of sepsis. The October 17 statement said: “The Conservation Officer Service can confirm that they responded last week to a report of a dead grizzly bear found in the area near the original attack location.
“The COS recovered the bear and through DNA analysis were able to confirm that this was the bear involved in the attack. A huge thank you to everyone who supported the response efforts. The victim remains in hospital and is continuing to recover.”
Non-profit organisation WildSafeBC, said there are between 400 and 500 calls about grizzly bears each year. It added grizzly attacks are uncommon but can be fatal.
The British Columbia Officer Service said in October, two hikers were attacked by a grizzly bear in the McGregor mount area northeast of Prince George. It added the two hikers were seriously injured by the grizzly, that was seen with two cubs.
People moving through areas with bears are asked to do the following, if they see a bear. This includes:
• Stay calm and don’t run.
• Speak in a calm voice and slowly back away.
• If the bear charges, stand your ground and use bear spray if necessary.