Photo-BRENDA GRUNDT, WWW.WAWA-NEWS.COM
Posted on 07/22/2006 5:30:03 PM PDT by kanawa
A Waterloo man and his dog made a harrowing escape from the clutches of a vicious black bear Thursday while portaging near Wawa, Ont.
Tom Tilley, 55, killed the nearly 200-pound bear by jumping on its back and stabbing the aggressive animal with a six-inch hunting knife after his dog alerted him and distracted the bear.
"Love is a very powerful emotion and my thought right away was, 'You're not going to kill my dog,' " Tilley said yesterday.
"I really consider my dog a hero. Without that first warning I would have had the bear clamping down on my neck."
Tilley had planned on spending 12 days portaging through the area near Wawa with his American Staffordshire, Sam.
Four days into the trip, as he was making his third trip back to the water near Abbey Lake to retrieve his gear, he heard his dog growl and noticed the bear closing in on him. He said he did what he's been taught to do when a bear is close -- he starting waving his arms and slowing started backing away from the animal.
The bear moved off the trail, but a few seconds later reappeared, cutting off Tilley's escape route.
"That's when I knew I had a serious problem . . . I was lunch," he said.
Sam, who was behind Tilley before the bear moved up the trail, was now between the bear and his owner. Instead of taking an aggressive stance, the dog stood sideways blocking the bear's route.
"The bear took a few steps down the trail and clamped its mouth on the back of my dog," Tilley said. "By attracting the bear's attention like that and distracting the bear from me it gave me the quick opportunity I needed to run around to the back of the bear, get on its back and with my knife start stabbing it."
Tilley had recently purchased the knife that would save his life after reading the story of Jacqueline Perry, the young Cambridge doctor who was killed by a bear last September.
Perry's husband attempted to fend off the animal with a Swiss Army Knife -- the only weapon he had.
"When I read the report about her death, it really hit home to me that these things are possible," Tilley said.
"I owe her husband a real debt of gratitude because if I hadn't heard her story and got that knife, I wouldn't be telling this story."
After making sure the animal was dead, Tilley realized he had suffered a wound to his hand and Sam had two puncture marks on his back. He needed to get help, but was a two-day portage away from civilization.
Dragging his canoe across the short portage, Tilley paddled for about an hour before he came across a pair of Americans who happened to have a satellite phone.
They called for help and two hours later, a cargo plane arrived to take Tilley back to Wawa for medical attention.
He was treated and released from hospital.
News of his feat passed quickly through the small community, with a population of just over 3,000.
"He had a lot of cojones to do what he did," said Brenda Grundt, who operates the local news site Wawa-news.com and drove Tilley two hours back to where he'd left his van after the incident.
LUCKY TO HAVE KNIFE
"It's pretty amazing. Here's a guy that wouldn't be here if he hadn't happened to have a knife on him."
As for Tilley, it wasn't until he was back in his van alone with Sam that he took in the gravity of the situation.
"I just thanked God I was alive and that my dog was alive and cried a bit, but they were tears of thanks and relief," he said.
The Ministry of Natural Resources has sent the bear's body to Guelph and Ottawa for testing.
"It's very unusual for a bear to attack a person (and) pretty amazing this gentleman was able to kill it just with a knife," said Jolanta Kowalski, spokes-person for the ministry.
Because Wawa doesn't have a veterinarian's office and a specialist wasn't available to treat his hand, Tilley decided to push through and make the long journey home that night.
Back in Waterloo, news of his experience trickled back to amazed friends and family. Despite the danger, Tilley said the incident hasn't erased his love of the outdoors.
"My daughter says I'm not allowed to go up there anymore," he said with a laugh. " But I left my canoe there knowing I'll have to go back to get it."
Photo-BRENDA GRUNDT, WWW.WAWA-NEWS.COM
But if you really understood, you wouldn't have spoken.
Perfect example of a manmade godless claims! Without proof, contrary to Jesus' evidence. He proved His claims were true when He raised Himself from the dead.
If Kanawa's "Bear and God are one," let him raise himself from the dead! Let Him fulfill the prophecies. Let that Bear-god raise others from the dead, give sight to the blind and feet to the lame, and new lives to millions. He would eat those feet instead.
No, God made creation. He is not a part OF creation. He is separate from Creation, but offers to come inside you ONLY if you repent and accept His Only Son's blood shed for your sins on the cross. He is perfect having no sin or darkness, omniscient having all knowledge, eternal having no beginning or ending. Man rejected Him, sinned, and ALL of creation was put under that curse. That is knowledge you cannot find in knowledge, but only in "special revelation" which He gives in Scripture alone. The future of creation is also explained there.
Wisdom does NOT come from "experience" as godless hope, but God says it starts from "the fear of the Lord." But He recorded that where He chose, the means of written Scripture and not nature. "It speaks of Me", Jesus said of Scripture.
And I shall say no more of it
That is why I only enjoy the company of dogs that are timid who are fed only on soy based protein. Predatory behaviour also is inate in human beings. It needs to be bred and socialized out of human kind.
That is why I have joined the movement to ban all animals that are predatory, including Rottweillers.
Now leave me alone. I have to go home and hug my favorite unicorn doll while dreaming of fair vegetarian knights in shining armor, that smell like roses and lavender, who have blond white hair and never have to shave, riding white horses.
Get lost.
That's a great point! Using the Biblical definition of God, to try and re-define God to his own! God is separate from creation by the very fact that there is a creation which existed not until He created it! Good eye!
"I meant the dogs..pit bulls. Illegal in some counties. Hope Rotties are next."
When I was a kid my second cousin was attacked by an Irish setter. I remember seeing the scary pictures of the gashes on her head.
Guess they need to be outlawed soon too.
>>>>...but I'm also the one who told him how he would likely NEVER, EVER, encounter a rogue bear.
Well, I don't have 'the' buck knife yet; but I will borrow your great advice and hope it applies to me for tomorrow :) We are going salmon fishing tomorrow and bear like salmon! And yes, there are bear up in those mountains where we are going.
Oh jeez, you get it even less than Candor
Because Fawn only posts on animal threads, he/she is a devoted animal rights person, has bought into all the BS they produce.
I suspect he/she is living in a tiny concrete apartment building in some concrete jungle, probably 21 years old max, and thinks to see a pigeon feed near a park bench is the ultimate outdoor/wilderness experience.
::it was actually quite funny. he went down right in the stream. his wadders filled up with water and he was fumbling all over the place::
The real question I always ask the anti-dog nanny-staters here on FR is 'If pitbulls are banned and eliminated, which breed will be next'. There will always be a 'most dangerous breed', and anyone who tells me my canine choices are limited to shitzus, poodles, and chihuahuas can pound sand.
LOL!
You and Amos should get Kanawa's bear to rise from the dead proving his deity, since he "and God are one"! Call upon your "medicine men"! What a fun thread that would be!
You are at the least a "perfect starnger" as you so aptly wrote.
No, let me rephrase that...Candor at least has an idea of what I'm saying....you do not
>>>The real question I always ask the anti-dog nanny-staters here on FR is 'If pitbulls are banned and eliminated, which breed will be next'.
Actually; what I've tried many times to point out on those pit bull threads is, pit bull, lower case, is NOT a breed. If you pull up those local laws that have been coming out and read them, pit bull defines about 7 different breeds and states mixes and pit bull type dogs.
That ban is not at all targetted toward Staffordshires. That is just one of the included breeds in the ban.
Cajones Gigante!
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