Man mauled by bear recalls horrific attack and says only one thing saved his life

Warning: This article contains graphic content that some readers may find disturbing.

A Massachusetts man has revealed the “most important thing” that helped him survive a brutal encounter with a bear.

On Sunday, May 19, 35-year-old Shayne Patrick Burke was hiking in Grand Teton National Park when a mother bear mauled him while protecting her cub.

The attack left him with numerous injuries, including two stab wounds to his legs, and occurred on Signal Mountain as the man was looking for a bird he wanted to photograph.

After this ordeal, Burke posted on Instagram that he had thought “long and hard” before reporting his encounter with a grizzly bear.

Shayne Patrick Burke, 35, survived an encounter with a grizzly bear. (Instagram/@n0beefstew4u)

“The most violent thing I have ever experienced”

The photographer said of his story that he “loves and respects wildlife” and that the incident happened “at the wrong time in the wrong place.”

“Sunday afternoon I was attacked by a grizzly bear protecting her cub,” wrote the former reservist.

“It was the most brutal thing I have ever experienced. I was shot at, grenades were thrown at me and explosive devices exploded.

“I was hiking through the woods at Signal Mountain and wanted to photograph a great grey owl.

“My wife and I had learned that this was a hotspot for this species, and I was hoping to see one. I told my wife I would be back in the parking lot in an hour.”

However, an hour and 15 minutes later, the disabled veteran had still not returned from his expedition and said his wife was probably worried about him.

To contact her, he returned to his car using the GPS function on his cell phone.

Due to the poor reception on the mountain, he could unfortunately only see the parking identifier and his current location on the GPS.

The man stood his ground and shouted at the animal before it attacked him. (Instagram/@n0beefstew4u)

“I saw the mother bear attack”

As he began to trace the trail back to his car, Burke admitted he felt “really uncomfortable” in his surroundings.

“I broke off branches, sang, and talked to myself out loud,” he explained. “These are some of the things that can help prevent a ‘surprise encounter’ with a brown bear.”

“I was walking through a dense forest area in a valley. I crossed a rock formation to my right and noticed a brown bear cub running up a hill about 45 to 65 meters in front of me.”

When Patrick saw the cub, he quickly pulled out his bear spray.

Meanwhile, the mother grizzly bear began to attack him.

The Massachusetts native remained defiant in the face of violence and screamed at the mother bear.

“But when I did that, she was already closing the gap,” he continued. “When she struck, I decided to turn around and turn my back to her. I lay on my stomach on the ground and braced myself for the ride. I clasped my hands behind my neck to protect my vital organs.”

“She wanted to cause the fatal bite”

Unfortunately, the attack left Burke “screaming” as the wild animal slashed his back and right shoulder with its teeth and then bit him three times each on his legs and buttocks.

“The last time I screamed again. Unfortunately, but fortunately, that drew their attention to my head.

Burke claimed his wounds were treated on site before he was flown out of the forest. (Instagram/@n0beefstew4u)

“I think she was trying to give me a fatal bite on the neck. I still had my hands crossed and my arms protecting my carotid arteries. I never let go of the bear spray can.”

However, as she went inside, she bit Burke on the hand.

This caused the can of UDAP Bear Spray he was holding to explode in her mouth – an action that the American said saved his life.

“I have accepted that I could very well die”

After hearing the animal flee the scene, Burke managed to put some distance between himself and the bear before attempting to call his wife for help.

“It didn’t work, so I sent a text saying ‘attacked.’ She called me back and I told her what happened while applying improvised tourniquets to my legs.

“At that point, I knew I didn’t have an arterial bleed and just needed to slow down the bleeding in my legs.”

He then recorded messages for his loved ones on his phone and then called 911.

After Burke crawled into a clearing so the helicopter could easily pick him up, his wounds were tended to by doctors before he was successfully flown out of the forest.

The wildlife photographer explained that his ability to “read” the situation saved his life. (Instagram/n0beefstew4u)

After this ordeal, which nearly claimed his life, the explorer was taken to St. John’s Hospital in Jackson, Wyoming, where he underwent surgery.

Towards the end of his Instagram post, Burke revealed that he believes the most important thing that saved his life during the bear attack was reading and understanding the situation.

He also said that a can of bear spray was a great help.

“Although I’m not sure if I sprayed any of it on the bear, the only reason I’m telling my story now is because I have it with me, holding it in my hands, protecting my vital organs 100 percent,” he admitted.

“I accepted on that little hilltop that I could very well die,” he added, before expressing “the greatest thanks” to the Jenny Lake Rangers, who also saved his life.

“The Teton SAR is considered one of the most elite SAR groups in North America and I was so grateful that they were there to help.”

Photo credit: Instagram/Shayne Patrick Burke

Topics: Animals, US News, Health