There are a just very few things one can really do when faced with a full-grown bear and most of them include different ways of fleeing. A 63-year-old Japanese man, however, chose to stand his ground and fought the raging animal that mauled him using his karate skills.
Atsushi Aoki sustained some bites and scratches on his head, arm and leg after the 6 foot 3 inch beast attacked him during a fishing trip on a creek in the mountains. Agence France-Presse reported that it was an unprovoked attack.
“The bear was so strong, and it knocked me down,” Aoki was quoted as saying. “It turned me over and bit me right here,” he said, referring to his bandaged leg.
With his right fist clenched in front of him, the fisherman assumed a fighting stance and then began dishing out some insane karate moves against the Asian black bear.
Aoki said he jabbed at the bear’s eyes, sending it scurrying away into the woods.
Here’s how it happened (we imagine)
Aoki said he jabbed at the bear’s eyes, sending it scurrying away into the woods.
“I thought it’s either ‘I kill him or he kills me,'” Aoki told NHK.
He then got back to his car and drove himself to a hospital in Gunma Prefecture even after sustaining multiple injuries.
He then got back to his car and drove himself to a hospital in Gunma Prefecture even after sustaining multiple injuries.
The incident earned him some major points in the Japanese Press with headlines like, “Man fights off bear with bare hands!” gracing local tabloids.
While Aoki’s incredible feat of courage saved him from immediate death, Japanese authorities warned against engaging in fistfights when attacked by huge, powerful bears.
