Cyclist Survives Grizzly Attack

Playing dead saves Alaska man's life
By Rob Quinn,  Newser Staff
Posted Jun 16, 2010 2:50 AM CDT
Cyclist Survives Grizzly Attack
Some wildlife experts say you should play dead if you see one of these coming at you.   (Shutter Stock)

An Alaskan cyclist survived a grizzly bear attack with just minor injuries after playing dead. The pharmacist was riding his bike to work along a trail in an Anchorage park when he surprised a bear, who charged him. He played dead while the bear—a mother with her cub—swatted him and bit him once, leaving him with a torn ear and lacerations to his calf, the Anchorage Daily News reports.

The man was able to ride his bike to a nearby hospital after the bear departed. Since the bear was acting defensively instead of aggressively, state officials are not planning to hunt it down. "By this guy's account, this was absolutely a bear being a bear," a wildlife official told AP. "He stumbled on to a sow with a cub at close quarters." (More bear attack stories.)

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