Published: Less than 30 min ago
Johan and the dog Gordon’s forest walk was about to cost them their lives when they suddenly came face to face with an angry and newly awake bear.
When it attacked, Johan was convinced that his last moment had come – until Gordon came to the rescue.
– He saved my life. I wouldn’t have lived if it weren’t for the dog, says Johan.
It was in the forest in Sanda – between Stockholm and Uppsala counties – that the hunter Johan, 52, met the angry bear, something Norrtelje newspaper was the first to report on.
Johan was walking through his hunting team’s grounds to fill feed spreaders and train his hunting dog Gordon, 4, when the dog started warning of a nearby trail.
– We were silent for a while. I thought it was a wild boar, but then we turn around and there is a big bear, says Johan.
Gordon came to the rescue
Then it went quickly. The bear stood up on its hind legs – and attacked Johan.
– It pushes me in the chest and I fall to the ground. Out of reflex I pulled up my right hand to protect myself and then the bear bit. He didn’t let go.
Johan tells us that he thought that his last moment had come.
– I was lying on the gun so I couldn’t pick it up. I couldn’t reach the knife either because I had it on my right side and my right hand was in the bear’s mouth.
But Gordon, who is of the gonczy polski breed, then came to the master’s rescue.
– Gordon barked. Oh, how he scolded. He barked so loudly that the bear must have gone nuts because he let go of his hand. And then Gordon jumps between me and the bear and chases the bear down the road. It was incomparable.
Then Johan himself alerted SOS, which sent an ambulance to a road near the forest.
– I walked for a long time before I reached the ambulance. When I saw it, I knew I would survive. It felt fantastic, says Johan.
Stayed in the hospital for a week
Since the attack, Johan has already had one operation and is now booked in for another operation on Tuesday.
– The doctors can’t get the infections under control. Bears have a lot of crap in their bites and I need a lot of antibiotics. I will probably stay in the hospital for at least a week.
Johan tells us that he is unsure if he wants to return to the forest after he recovers.
– I don’t know if I want to continue hunting. It varies from day to day. Now I’m thinking that maybe I should go for the same walk as soon as I recover to process the incident, he says.
Johan also says that the attack gave him new insights.
– Humans are very vulnerable in the forest. Gordon and I were in the bear’s territory. We roused the bear from its slumber. Everything went so quickly and that’s how it works in the forest, says Johan.
