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
BUMP
God was really looking out for you and Sam.
It’s weird, but my bf took the boys(his and mine)camping and fishing, up in the Sierras(Lone Pine vicinity) last week. They spotted an adult black bear several hundred feet away(not near their campsite), and ran for the truck. They forgot the “OFF”, and came back a day early. The bear didn’t get them, but the ticks and mosquitoes had a field day.
Once again, glad to hear you’re okay :)
Thanks.
I’m all packed up and ready to go on this year’s trip.
Couple of coffees and we’re off. Woo-Hoo!
Take care so you’ll be back to tell the rest of us your stories! I find it a little sad so many freepers stuck in the big cities, sometimes just a little comment about my Alaska lifestyle and I get so many people yearning to live it, and I say just go for it, cya.
Bump for this year’s story.
What a wonderful pair you two must be.
That was a cool story, thanks for sharing it.
My hat is off to you, sir.......as well as the dog that owns you.
bump
The guy is lucky! One should never be hiking in a bear area without a 44 magnum and should never hike alone!
Marker
Follow up: Ranger later sue guy for stabbing bear to death and surviving the attack. “The guy should’ve let the bear eat him and his dog,” said one government official.
/sarc but not-so-sarc
Leni
Praise the Lord!
And, Merry Christmas!
I'm glad he's alive but me personally? I'd have preferred a gun.
But that's just me.
Are Canadians allowed to own guns?
* Just a side note. Wild animal attacks are on the rise in recent years and they will get worse as our environment continues to get colder and food more scarce. The animal protection agencies that keep telling us that these types of attacks are rare are lying through their teeth.
Great story - especially you thanking the widower for sharing the story of his wife’s death, which helped to save your life. I hope he reads that.
Ping to this thread. I think you’ll be inspired by this story.
bump!
I remember this thread like it was yesterday.
Bump-worthy!
All in favor: Every freeper across the fruited plain.
All opposed: Dare ya!
You are a hero and your valorous doggie makes two.
One of the greatest personal Christmas Day posts since I joined the FR family over ten years ago.
God bless us, everyone!
Leni
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