A Marine veteran’s jaw was ripped off by a grizzly bear as he tried to tackle the 10-foot animal with his bare hands after being ambushed in Montana, his family said.
Rudy Noorlander, 61, remains in critical but stable condition in a hospital after being attacked by a huge bear inside the Custer Gallatin National Forest outside Big Sky last Friday.
“The grizzly bear left a large scratch on the right side of his chest, bit his arms and legs,” his daughter, KateLynn Noorlander, wrote on a GoFundMe page for “the bravest and strongest man I know.”
“And to top it all off, [the bear] “He gave him what Rudy describes as the most disgusting French kiss of his life before biting him and ripping off his lower jaw.”
The terrifying encounter unfolded when Noorlander, who runs an all-terrain vehicle rental company, was helping some of his clients locate a deer they had recently shot.
He first saw a smaller bear and immediately pulled out his rifle to scare it away, but was quickly ambushed by the 10-foot grizzly, his daughter said.
Rudy Noorlander had his jaw ripped off by a grizzly bear. Courtesy of Katelyn Davis
The Navy veteran is recovering in the hospital after a bear attack in the Custer Gallatin National Forest outside Big Sky last Friday. Kary Noorlander-Lyman
“Rudy pointed his gun at the bear, but his gun misfired, so his best option for defense was his fists since he didn’t have time to get the bear spray out of his backpack,” the daughter said.
“When the bear charged, all Rudy could do was hit it in hopes of stopping it. Unfortunately that was not the case and, after the first punch, the brown bear was on top of Rudy.”
The hunters he was with managed to scare away the bears and quickly called for a rescue helicopter.
Noorlander had to stay on the ground for two hours after the attack before he could be airlifted out of the forest. AP
A seriously injured Noorlander was airlifted to a nearby medical center for emergency surgery. AP
“Since the bear threat was still looming, the first responding helicopter had to wait for another helicopter to arrive to chase off the remaining bears,” KateLynn said, adding that her father was “fully conscious” on the ground for two hours. .
“It was an incredible feat of strength as he did not faint from fear, pain or blood loss,” he added.
After initially undergoing surgery at Bozeman Deaconess Hospital in Montana, Noorlander was flown to the University of Utah Hospital for further treatment.
Authorities closed the park after the attack, although it was not immediately clear if the bear was located (file photo). Getty Images/iStockphoto
The U.S. Forest Service quickly closed parts of the park to locate the grizzly bear.
It was not immediately clear if the animal was found.
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Source: vtt.edu.vn