Dad came face-to-face with a giant bear in his kitchen—one overwhelming realization made him fight back
One can’t fathom what they’d do should they see a bear inside their home. It is a situation no one expects to be in. A dad named Dave Chernosky, unfortunately, had this experience in person, CNN revealed. As any person would be, the man was caught off guard. While he tried his best to get rid of the creature as calmly as possible, there was danger lurking. He finally found himself facing the bear and in that moment, when giving up probably felt easier, a thought came to his mind. It pushed him to find the strength and do whatever it takes to get rid of the ferocious creature, even if it meant risking his life.
Steve Searles, a self-taught bear expert and the subject of Animal Planet's reality show, "The Bear Whisperer," shared an interview with PEOPLE, sharing his insight on what to do if one’s paths collide with a bear. Together with retired Los Angeles Times columnist Chris Erksine, he agreed that the best defense on encountering a bear is bear spray. Erksine noted that bears entering homes are “almost unheard of.” However, there are rare instances where it happens. The best resort, then, according to Searles, is to use “non-lethal” measures. Things like the bear spray, rubber bullets, flash devices and so on were suggested.
However, things were more serious and worrisome in Chernosky’s case. It was early morning when he heard a noise coming from the kitchen. “I lay in bed thinking, ‘I really hope this isn’t a bear,’” he recalled. He went to check and found himself staring at a 400-pound black bear messing up his kitchen, probably in search of food. With the kitchen island in between him and the bear, his first idea was to guide him out without any danger. As soon as he used the garage door opener to guide him out, the creature got scared and came back inside, ABC News reported. The tension was growing by each minute and the bear was making his way around the house now.
As the bear wandered, the dad was struck with a terrifying realization. His twins were fast asleep in bed downstairs. He knew he had to do something before the bear got anywhere close to that direction. He encountered the bear face-to-face and before he knew it, Chernosky was attacked. “We looked at each other and he just smacked me in the side of the head and spun me around and got me again on the back,” Chernosky said. He heard a “hard crack” on his head but no matter what, he knew the bear couldn’t go past him to his kids. With fear and also courage building up to be the best parent and protector, the dad was willing to stay there and try again.
As he bled on the ground, he got farther and yelled aloud, hoping to scare the bear off. The dad knew this was the only shot he had, given that he was already injured. As he hoped the bear would make an exit, the creature figured there was nothing to see and ended up leaving. The dad saved his kids' lives and eventually recovered from his injuries.
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