Grizzly kills and eats camper, Polar bear drags camper from tent 130ft by head

A terrified camper was attacked in his tent by a polar bear and dragged by his head across 130ft of rocks and ice.

Sebastian Plur Nilssen, 22, was resting during a kayak expedition around the Norwegian archipelago of Svalbard when the bear struck.

As Nilssen was carried off screaming, his expedition partner, Ludvig Fjeld, 22, grabbed a rifle and fired four shots, killing the bear.

A rescue helicopter arrived at the scene within two hours.

Nilssen, from Fredrikstad, Norway, remained conscious throughout the ordeal last Thursday.

He was airlifted to hospital, where he underwent surgery on lacerations to his chest, head and neck.

A hospital spokeswoman said his injuries were not life-threatening.

Svalbard officials said the quick actions of fjeld, from Sarpsborg, Norway, almost certainly saved the life of his colleague.

The two men had previously said they were aware there could be 'a whole lot' of polar bears in Svalbard but hoped to avoid using firearms to keep them at bay.

It remains unclear why the polar bear went on the attack, with some experts speculating that it was either hungry or merely curious.

Polar bears are protected under Norway's strict conservation laws and are allowed to be shot only in self-defence. experts say it is getting harder for polar bears to find food in the area.

via Polar bear attacks camper in his tent and drags him 130ft by his head | Mail Online.

The grizzly bears in Montana are also going on the attack.

A grizzly bear was euthanized Friday after a DNA test determined that it mauled three campers -- one of them fatally -- in a remote area of Montana, an attack that has perplexed wildlife experts.

"We just can't figure it out," said Ron Aasheim, a spokesman for Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks. "It doesn't make any sense."

All the food in the campground was stored properly in bear-proof containers; the attack was unprovoked; the bear had no history of attacking humans, Aasheim said. "It's a head scratcher."

The incident unfolded around 2 a.m. Wednesday, when a caller to the Park County Sheriff's Department said someone had been bitten in Soda Butte Campgrounds outside Yellowstone National Park.

"My daughter's boyfriend got bit by a bear just a little bit ago; there's another lady down there that's screaming," the caller to 911 told police.

When parks officials showed up, they "found a dead man, partially consumed, 25 feet from his tent," Aasheim said.

The body was identified as Kevin Kammer, from Grand Rapids, Michigan, who had been on a solo fishing trip, Aasheim said. Reached at the family's house, Kammer's son said he did not want to discuss the matter. ...

via CNN

FWP Warden Capt. Sam Sheppard said Thursday that officials are confident they captured the offending bear.

Sheppard describes the attacks as highly unusual and predatory, as opposed to an attack in which a sow might be protecting her cubs from a perceived threat. Officials have said the sow in this incident will be killed. State and federal wildlife officials will determine the fate of the cubs. Sheppard says they are unlikely to be returned to the wild.

Howard said Kammer "used to give fly fishing lessons. It was kind of a dream of his to be able to go fly fishing in Montana because it's beautiful fly fishing country. I know he was very excited to go on this trip."

Kammer was "devoted to his family and children. That's what he did. That was his life...were his children."

Palmer told 24 Hour News 8 he sends his condolences to Kammer's family. "This fellow was doing everything right and it's a heartbreaking and tragic accident." - via woodtv

I love camping, but I'd like to avoid any head scratchers ... or head draggers.