Kicking the brown bear may have caused it to walk away after biting the cyclist in the leg.
A cyclist in Alaska is lucky to be alive after surviving a bear attack last week, CNN reported.
The cyclist was riding his bike last Tuesday in Cantwell when he spotted a large brown bear sprinting towards him. The cyclist got off the bike and started to yell at the bear, he told Alaskan Wildlife Troopers who reported the incident in a statement.
The bear continued to charge at the cyclist, who said he got on the ground in the fetal position and covered his head and possibly kicked the bear as it attacked, the statement from the Alaskan Wildlife Troopers said.
The bear bit the cyclist in the leg below the knee but then walked away, The Guardian reported.
“The bear made one contact and one bite, then immediately retreated into the vegetation the same way it approached. After the bear left the area, [the cyclist] walked to the highway and called a friend for a ride,” officials said in a statement.
The cyclist did have a firearm but did not use it, according to The Guardian.
The cyclist "believes the bear was alone and approximates the bear's weight at 500lbs," the release said.
The cyclist was taken to hospital and was treated for puncture wounds as well as a laceration and did not seek additional treatment.
Bear attacks on humans are rare, according to the National Park Service.
“Each bear and each experience is unique,” the National Park Service. “There is no single strategy that will work in all situations and that guarantees safety … your safety can depend on your ability to calm the bear.”
