Join Now
Join ePHOTOzine, the friendliest photography community.
Upload photos, chat with photographers, win prizes and much more for free!
| Category: | Photographers |
Photographer mauled by bear - A man who had his face severely mauled by a grizzly bear has been identified as photographer and author Jim Cole of Bozeman, Montana.
Add Comment
Jargon Buster: Off
57-year-old Jim Cole, who has published books on the lives of grizzly bears in Montana, Wyoming and Alaska, was hiking alone along Trout Creek in Yellowstone National Park when the incident happened. After being attacked by a sow with a cub, Cole walked three miles until he was discovered by visitors, and was then flown to Idaho where he underwent several hours of surgery to repair his face.
Longtime friend Rich Berman said Cole was unable to speak and was breathing through a ventilator and being fed through a tube. "He's lucky to be alive," Berman said.
Cole was hiking alone off-trail in a backcountry area of Yellowstone which is prime grizzly habitat. He was carrying bear pepper spray, but it is not yet known if he used the spray on the sow. The incident remains under investigation.
The park service stated that these kind of incidents are rare and that there hasn't been a human fatality since 1986.
Explore More
Comments
Having worked and played in the forests and mountains of Western Canada for over 20 years, I can say that encounters happen, even when the usual precautions have been taken. (Making noise while traveling on foot, carrying bear spray, camping in the right areas and cleanly, etc.)
I've been suddenly face-to-face with many black bears and a few grizzlies. One night, I had to punch a bear in the nose when it started to smell my head though the wall of my tent in Yoho Park, B.C. I don't know what kind of bear it was....I only heard it whimpering as it beat a hasty retreat.
Add a Comment
ePHOTOzine, the web's friendliest photography community.
Upload photos, chat with photographers, win prizes and much more.
