A Russian man fought off an angry brown bear with his bare hands after he was attacked while picking mushrooms.
The ten minute forest duel, in Sverdlovsk region, central Russia, left unarmed Alexander Lopukhin, 44, 'convinced he would die'.
But in a final bid to stay alive he grabbed the bear by the head with one hand and punched its muzzle with the other.
The mother bear with a cub nearby sat down stunned after the man's attack, and then retreated.
With blood pouring from his wounds, and the tip of his nose almost severed, Mr Lopukhin then walked four miles through the forest until his phone came back within coverage and he could summon help.
He said he had come across bears previously while picking mushrooms, but never faced an attack.
He added: 'These animals do not attack people unless they are touched or provoked. But, of course, there are exceptions.
Mothers with young cubs are known to be fiercely protective.
'She rushed at me and began to bite my head,' he told The Siberian Times.
He had been using a small penknife to cut wild mushrooms but the bear knocked this away. The tip of his nose was almost severed.
'She began to bite and tear him' protecting her cub, said a police source.
At first Mr Lopukhin covered his head and hands and the bear bit him and ripped his flesh.
The brave Russian said: 'For some reason, it was not scary. I pushed her away, and I noticed her fur was so nice - very, very soft.
'We fought for about ten minutes, then I started to punch her in the face.'
The bear paused but then retreated, and the cub followed her.
'Blood was gushing from all my wounds, and I wanted to sleep very much.
'But I realised that I need to hold on and move forward. I managed to go six kilometres.'
A hospital spokesman in Serov, in the Russian Urals, said that Mr Lopukhin suffered 'multiple lacerations' to his head, upper limbs, and right ear.
'The tip of the nose was bitten, but we sewed it back,' he said.
Mr Lopukhin said: 'The main thing is that I do not have any fear.
'As soon as I get out of the hospital, I'll go back to the forest for the mushrooms.'
The ten minute forest duel, in Sverdlovsk region, central Russia, left unarmed Alexander Lopukhin, 44, 'convinced he would die'.
But in a final bid to stay alive he grabbed the bear by the head with one hand and punched its muzzle with the other.
The mother bear with a cub nearby sat down stunned after the man's attack, and then retreated.
With blood pouring from his wounds, and the tip of his nose almost severed, Mr Lopukhin then walked four miles through the forest until his phone came back within coverage and he could summon help.
He said he had come across bears previously while picking mushrooms, but never faced an attack.
He added: 'These animals do not attack people unless they are touched or provoked. But, of course, there are exceptions.
Mothers with young cubs are known to be fiercely protective.
'She rushed at me and began to bite my head,' he told The Siberian Times.
He had been using a small penknife to cut wild mushrooms but the bear knocked this away. The tip of his nose was almost severed.
'She began to bite and tear him' protecting her cub, said a police source.
At first Mr Lopukhin covered his head and hands and the bear bit him and ripped his flesh.
The brave Russian said: 'For some reason, it was not scary. I pushed her away, and I noticed her fur was so nice - very, very soft.
'We fought for about ten minutes, then I started to punch her in the face.'
The bear paused but then retreated, and the cub followed her.
'Blood was gushing from all my wounds, and I wanted to sleep very much.
'But I realised that I need to hold on and move forward. I managed to go six kilometres.'
A hospital spokesman in Serov, in the Russian Urals, said that Mr Lopukhin suffered 'multiple lacerations' to his head, upper limbs, and right ear.
'The tip of the nose was bitten, but we sewed it back,' he said.
Mr Lopukhin said: 'The main thing is that I do not have any fear.
'As soon as I get out of the hospital, I'll go back to the forest for the mushrooms.'
Music: "Unwritten Return" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/
Source: Siberian Times , Daily Mail
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