The bear ripped off his face ... and that was just the start of it

A Canadian park ranger who survived a mauling by a grizzly bear that ripped off part of his scalp and half of his ear, says he feels “blessed to be alive”.
Jordan Carbery fought off the 230kg mother bear after she bit down on his head in a sustained early-morning attack outside his home in Bella Coola, British Columbia last week.
He escaped by kicking the bear in the face before stumbling to his vehicle and driving himself to a hospital 10 minutes away, later revealing he feared he was going to pass out at the wheel from shock and pain.
“I thought my guts were hanging out,” the 50-year-old, who was attacked as he tried to photograph grizzly cubs in a cherry tree just metres from his front door, told Canadian media.After charging at Carbery and knocking him to the ground, the protective bear lifted him up by the head before slamming him back down.
Posting on social media, the ranger understatedly called the experience “quite an adventure”.
“She ripped off a portion of my scalp, half my ear, tore my pectoral muscle, gave me an umbilical hernia, and several deep canine teeth puncture wounds, plus several other wounds! Then I drove myself to the hospital,” he added.
Recalling his terrifying ordeal, Carbery said he was left “covered in blood” after the bear repeatedly bit him, before once again picking him up by the thigh and right buttock.The ranger shared photos of his injuries, showing the deep puncture wounds to his leg and extensive damage to his scalp, on his Facebook page.Despite the trauma, Carbery remains in good spirits in hospital where he has been using social media to update friends and family on his condition, in between daily visits from his mother.
“Lots of injuries but glad to be alive!” he wrote. “Thanks for all the well wishes.
“Canines went 3 -4 cms in! I'm doing remarkably well!” he posted, later joking: “Good thing I have such a thick skull!”Carbery is a “lifelong bear lover”, according to The Globe and Mail, and regularly posts photos of wildlife on his Facebook pages.
One well wisher responded to the posts: “I do believe you’re about the luckiest son-of-a-gun on this planet.”
Another wrote: “Your humility is inspiring. What a fine person you are. I’m so glad you are healing.”Inspector Len Butler of the British Columbia Conservation Officer Society confirmed the bears won’t be destroyed because the mother bear’s attack was defensive.
He added that trees close to the scene of the attack may have to be cut down or electrified because cherries attract bears.
Carbery expects to remain in hospital for a “few more days” following surgery for an umbilical hernia.
– © The Daily Telegraph