A man is lucky to be alive after a horrible meet with a bear in Alaska. The unidentified man, who is said to be in his 50s, spent several days fighting for survival in the wilderness as a bear followed him-but then a Coast Guard helicopter team came to his rescue on Friday, July 16.
Commander Carbajal told the newspaper that their Coast Guard helicopter had changed course to avoid cloud cover on their way to a task when the shocking discovery was made. Though it was uncommon for the Coast Guard to come across people in need in the middle of nowhere,they noticed a shack(棚屋)with "SOS" and "help me" written on the roof.
The man later told his rescuers he had been staying at the shack since July 12. In those five days, he suffered non-life-threatening injuries, including damage to his leg.
"He was kind of struggling. When we came around, he was on his hands and knees waving a white flag," Commander Carbajal said. "He definitely looked like he had been out there for a while," he added.
"At some point, a bear had dragged him down to the river," Commander Carbajal said. "He had a gun but the bullets were not enough. He said that the bear kept coming back every night and he hadn't slept for a few days. "
It is reported that 68 people in the state were sent to hospitals in 66 bear attacks from 2000 to 2017. Ten people died from bear attacks during that period. USA Today noted that all three species of North American bears—including black, brown and polar bears live in Alaska.