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Billy Halloran, a sprinter new zealandnarrowly escaped bear attack in the forests of myoko Japan earlier this month.
Mr Halloran, 32, who frequently jogs and hikes in the wooded area – and has even run ultramarathons there – encountered two Asian black bears on a trail in Niigata Prefecture.
As he backed away cautiously, one of the bears advanced towards him. “It was around my size, it was an adult, it weighed at least 60 or 70 kilos,” he told CNN.
Halloran suffered serious injuries to an arm and leg in the attack. “I could see it was going to pounce on me – and it did.”
When she raised her hand in front of her face to protect herself, the bear grabbed her and “I was pushed to the ground”, she recalled. “Then all at once my hand was gone.”
The bear also bit his leg with its claws before going back into the forest. “I was screaming a lot during fight or flight and thinking, ‘This is it,'” he told Radio New Zealand.
According to the outlet, his leg was bleeding and his arm was “completely broken”, hanging at an unnatural angle and held together only by his rain jacket.
Despite the pain, Mr Halloran ran almost a kilometer to meet his wife and wait for the ambulance.
Since the attack in early October, Mr Halloran has had three surgeries, including a hip graft to replace the bone bitten by the bear and the insertion of metal plates into his arm.
He is expected to be discharged by the end of October.
“I haven’t been brave enough to look at it yet,” he told Radio New Zealand, referring to his arm. “It’s hard to think about that moment again.”
Japan has seen a surge in bear attacks this year, with more than 100 people injured and at least seven killed, the highest number since record-keeping began in 2006.
Last week, a black bear entered a supermarket in the town of Numata in Gunma Prefecture and attacked two people, while another attacked a Spanish tourist waiting at a bus stop in Shirakawa-go in Gifu Prefecture.
According to some experts, bear attacks usually increase in autumn before hibernation, but climate change and the lack of their usual beach nut food are pushing them towards cities.
according to japan timesEarlier this month, a 70-year-old woman was mauled to death by a bear while looking for mushrooms in a forest in Miyagi Prefecture. Another woman who was with him is missing and the police is searching for her.
Early last week a bear was found roaming the parking lot and accommodation areas of the Izaka Hot Springs resort in Fukushima Prefecture for 10 hours, bringing business to a halt before disappearing.
Although no injuries were reported, residents were asked not to go out unless necessary.
Authorities have announced strict measures to curb the bear population, while residents have begun taking precautions, including carrying bells or playing loud music.
“There have been a lot of attacks,” Mr Halloran said, “and some people have not been so lucky.”
“I feel very grateful and very fortunate to get out of this situation, especially considering the many examples where people haven’t been able to do this.”