Man Cuts Off Arm to Escape Caged Bear Attack

A Swiss tourist has cut off his own arm after a bear dug its teeth into him and refused to let go.

The man, Stefan Claudio Specogna, was feeding the Asian black bear at a wildlife sanctuary in Chiang Mai, Thailand, when it grabbed his right arm in its jaws.

After struggling to free his arm from the bear's maw, and not wanting to harm the animal, the 32-year-old man took his pocket knife and chopped off his crushed forearm, reported the Bangkok Post.

The man was given first aid by bystanders, and rushed to the nearby Chiang Dao Hospital. He was then taken to another hospital for surgery, though it is unclear if his arm will be able to be reattached and saved.

"[He was] rushed to Chiangdao hospital with a torn arm piece from the elbow in critical condition. He was recently transferred to a private hospital in downtown Chiang Mai for surgery," One News 31 said in a Facebook post, sharing images of the man and the bear.

Asian black bears, also known as Asiatic black bears or moon bears, are native to East Asia, Southeast Asia, India and the Himalayas. These bears grow to around 300 pounds in weight, and are similar in build to brown bears. Asian black bears are the most bipedal of all the bear species, being able to walk on their hind legs for up to a quarter of a mile.

These bears are listed as vulnerable on the IUCN Red List, facing population declines due to deforestation and poaching, often for their skin and gallbladders, for use in traditional medicine. Some bears are even kept in captivity in "bile farms" to extract the liquid from their gallbladders, a practice considered inhumane by animal welfare charities.

Asian black bears are usually quite shy, but are usually more aggressive toward humans than brown bears and American black bears. In the wild, these bears attack and kill many people, often when in close quarters and encountered suddenly. During an attack, Asian black bears will knock their victim over, rearing up on their hind legs, then proceed to bite their limbs or head.

"Asiatic bears are naturally found in landscapes that can be shared with predators such as tigers and so they can display aggression as a means of defending itself against attack by predators in the wild," Edward Narayan, a senior lecturer in animal science at the University of Queensland, told Newsweek.

"In landscapes occupied by humans, it can become a problem for both humans and bears as the encounter between these two species often appears as a conflict. Bears may see humans as threats such as hunters and they can be aroused by humans that approach them without much warning."

Attacks from these bears have been rising in certain areas in recent years, including India's Jammu and Kashmir provinces: between 2000 and 2020, 2,357 attacks were recorded. Attacks were more frequent in areas where the bears were forced into proximity with humans, driven by the expansion of agricultural practices and habitat fragmentation.

"Bears are wild animals and they can have certain degree of aggression depending on factors such as age, sex and reproductive status," Narayan said. "For example, males can be aggressive during breeding and female bears with cubs can be highly defensive to protect their cubs. If food and mating opportunities are limited due to human encroachment of their natural habitat it will heighten the bears vigilance and aggression."

Japan has also seen a spike in Asian black bear attacks, with 2023 seeing at least 212 people attacked and 6 dead. This marks a record-breaking year in Japan, overtaking the previous record-holder of 158 attacks in 2020.

The Asian black bear that attacked the volunteer had been rescued in 2013, and moved to the wildlife foundation from Doi Pha Daeng National Park in Chiang Dao.

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Update 2/1/24, 12:28 p.m. ET: This story was updated with comment from Edward Narayan.