American Woman Survives by Hitting Bear on the Nose

An American woman survived after striking a black bear on the nose when the animal attacked her. The adult bear ambushed the woman from behind while she had let her dog loose in Leavenworth, a village located in the Cascade Mountains, according to the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife, as reported by Gazeta.ru.

The bear tackled the woman to the ground, and she was hospitalized with non-life-threatening injuries. Biologist Rich Boussoleil told KING-TV that the woman’s strategy may have saved her life. “If a bear knocks you down, then yes, your decision is to fight back. It's just instinct. She just turned around and punched it on the nose,” he stated. The bear was reportedly “stunned” by the blow and then fled.

Wildlife officials found the bear near the site of the attack and had to euthanize it. Captain Mike Jewel of the Department of Fish and Wildlife said the officers had no choice but to kill the aggressive animal.