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Man (Freeper kanawa) stabs bear to death
The Record.com ^ | Jul 22, 2006 | MELINDA DALTON

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


TOPICS: Canada; Free Republic; News/Current Events
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To: Lady Jag

I missed it first time apparently.

Thanks ... bump back atcha! :^D


981 posted on 12/25/2008 6:07:14 PM PST by MeekOneGOP (Obama, WHO is Bill Ayers and WHY are you still friends with him? Please RSVP asap!)
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To: MeekOneGOP; All
Thanks to all for the kind words amd wishes.

You folks may get a chuckle out this....

In the Fall of '07 the imaginative folks at the Australian magazine, People,
recounted my and Sam's encounter in a rather colorful manner.

jpeg versions of Page 1,2 and 3

They tell the story better than I do!
;~D

982 posted on 12/26/2008 11:16:13 AM PST by kanawa
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To: kanawa; GMMAC; Clive; exg; backhoe; -YYZ-; Former Proud Canadian; Squawk 8888; headsonpikes; ...

Update on the Kanawa Saga, but according to the Australians.

Canada ping!


983 posted on 12/26/2008 11:48:06 AM PST by fanfan (Update on Constitutional Crisis in Canada.....Click user name)
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To: kanawa

Thanks for the Ozzie update, and thanks again for what you did.

You’re a true Canuck!


984 posted on 12/26/2008 12:49:44 PM PST by headsonpikes (Genocide is the highest sacrament of socialism.)
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To: kanawa; camle; Alkhin; Professional Engineer; katana; Mr. Silverback; MadIvan; agrarianlady; ...

Does this mean we have to start calling both you, and Arnold J. Rimmer, Old Ironballs?


985 posted on 12/26/2008 2:11:23 PM PST by null and void (Petroglyphs. The original cliffs notes...)
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To: null and void
oops... thanks for pointing out the incorrect link for page 3...here's the correct one
986 posted on 12/26/2008 2:36:32 PM PST by kanawa
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To: null and void
When it came time to pick a name for my metal-loving dwarf character, the choice was obvious...

987 posted on 12/26/2008 2:46:21 PM PST by kanawa
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To: kanawa

What do you call a Staffordshire terrier with 8” diameter iron balls?


988 posted on 12/26/2008 2:52:29 PM PST by null and void (Petroglyphs. The original cliffs notes...)
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To: kanawa

hehe! That is great! :^D


989 posted on 12/26/2008 9:46:37 PM PST by MeekOneGOP (Obama, WHO is Bill Ayers and WHY are you still friends with him? Please RSVP asap!)
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To: kanawa
Cool!

Despite all of the deer, coyote, wild turkey, and pheasants here in Central Jersey, we don't have the black bear problem that the northern part of the state has. Nevertheless, I am always on the lookout for Ursus Americanus when I am hiking.

990 posted on 12/26/2008 9:49:44 PM PST by Clemenza (Red is the Color of Virility, Blue is the Color of Impotence)
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To: kanawa

Did ya have to stab it? I would have thought you could just club it over the head with your cast iron cojones!


991 posted on 12/26/2008 10:01:53 PM PST by acad1228 (Palin / Watts in 2012!!!)
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To: kanawa; Bear_Watcher

Oh, heck, summer’s almost here - the bears are getting active, time to bump one of the greatest stories ever!


992 posted on 06/01/2009 5:19:04 AM PDT by headsonpikes (Genocide is the highest sacrament of socialism.)
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To: kanawa; Bear_Watcher

Oh, heck, summer’s almost here - the bears are getting active, time to bump one of the greatest stories ever!


993 posted on 06/01/2009 5:19:46 AM PDT by headsonpikes (Genocide is the highest sacrament of socialism.)
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To: kanawa; GMMAC

Bump, first I read this story. Just wow.

Thanks for posting it, even if it was a few years ago.


994 posted on 06/09/2009 5:26:27 PM PDT by WakeUpAndVote (Obama's America is Star Trek's M5 episode. Hint...... Obama is not James Kirk.)
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To: kanawa
Man (Freeper kanawa) stabs bear to death

I hadn't seen this story before. How are you even able to walk around with that solid brass pair weighing you down, man?!

995 posted on 09/22/2009 11:01:29 PM PDT by snarks_when_bored
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To: mtbopfuyn

Give him bear steak.


996 posted on 01/09/2010 7:09:52 PM PST by Silly ("Okay, I'm getting just a little sick of this bereaved chicken-widow crap!")
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To: kanawa

I love this story. I bet Sam is getting steak for dinner every night! :-) A brave dog and a brave Freeper! What a story!


997 posted on 09/01/2011 10:22:31 PM PDT by Immerito (Reading Through the Bible in 90 Days)
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To: kanawa

Big Re Bump!


998 posted on 02/15/2015 5:24:52 PM PST by Big Red Badger (UNSCANABLE in an IDIOCRACY!)
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To: kanawa

Praise the Lord, kanawa.

Your courage is inspiring.

Sam’s too.


999 posted on 02/15/2015 5:29:50 PM PST by exit82 ("The Taliban is on the inside of the building" E. Nordstrom 10-10-12)
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To: kanawa

One Thousand posts!


1,000 posted on 02/16/2015 4:42:07 AM PST by Big Red Badger (UNSCANABLE in an IDIOCRACY!)
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