Exploration
This man was attacked by a bear twice...in one day
"I heard and felt the crunch of the bone in my arm and the tendons getting ripped off the muscles."
Late last year, an outdoorsman from Montana was attacked by a grizzly bear. Then within a matter of minutes, he was attacked again.
Before he went to the hospital, the man, who goes by the name of Todd Orr, took a video in which he detailed the specifics of the attack and posted it to Facebook. That video went viral, clocking over 40 million views and making Todd something of an overnight internet sensation.
With his wounds almost fully healed, we caught up with Todd – who counts broken bones, crushed nerves, ripped tendons and shredded muscles amongst his injuries – to find out first what it’s like to be set upon by a grizzly, then what it’s like to be set upon by a grizzly again, and then how a humble, nature-loving guy goes about dealing with the media frenzy that follows becoming a social media super star.
Cute...right?
© Todd Orr
So you got attacked by a grizzly bear twice, within minutes, and survived. I am from England, where we do not have grizzly bears, so your story is startling to me. Almost as starling as the event itself is how level-headed you seem about it all. You were even composed enough to shoot a quick video immediately after it happened. Is getting attacked by wild animals something you're used to, Todd? Or are you the toughest man alive?
[Laughs] Contrary to the beliefs of the 39 million who viewed my video, I am not the toughest man alive. And the largest wild animal that has attacked me is a grouse.
But I have spent my life in bear country and realise that each day in the woods could be the day I encounter a wild animal, so I believe I am more mentally prepared than most to deal with the situation.
After my grizzly attacks, I had a 45-minute hike down the trail to assess my wounds before reaching the safety of my truck. At that time, I felt completely safe and knew that my wounds were not life threatening. Another minute to take a video and a few photos would not put my life in any further danger, and the hospital wasn't going anywhere.
"I really felt this time could be the end. For a moment I thought I may die right here on the trail in a pool of my own blood."
In all seriousness - what was going through your head during those attacks?
As the bear charged, I was sure it would bluff charge and return to her cubs. But then she was suddenly on top of me with her 3-inch claws digging into my lower back. At that moment I was thinking "wait for it…wait for it"… And that's when the first bite tore deep into my shoulder and ripped open my deltoid muscle. That was followed by bite after bite on my arms, back and head.
And then it was over and the bear was gone. I felt so relieved and lucky to have survived as I started hiking back to my truck. And then without warning, the bear attacked again and with much more ferocity. I heard and felt the crunch of the bone in my arm and the tendons getting ripped off the muscles. My eyes filled with blood as the bears claws ripped a 5" gash along the side of my head. I really felt this time could be the end. For a moment I thought I may die right here on the trail in a pool of my own blood.
The wilderness can be a harsh place
© Unsplash
Had you ever experienced anything like the attack before? Or even heard about anything similar happening to anyone else?
I have seen hundreds of bears over the years with a couple bluff charges and close calls, but I have never experienced an attack and have never met anyone who has. I don't believe anyone has ever been attacked twice in one day! I guess I can cross that off my bucket list [laughs].
Did you know what to do to increase your chances of survival? Do you remember what your priorities were when that bear started coming down on you?
Yes. I have sat through a few bear awareness and safety seminars, and have also worked as an instructor for a college course collecting bear data in Glacier National Park. I knew what to do and I think it was wired in my brain, so I reacted instinctively without even thinking about it.
I grabbed my bear spray. Pulled the safety clip. And gave the charging bear a full charge of spray in the face. When she blew through the cloud of spray, I went face down to the ground with my arms wrapped around the back of my neck and head to protect my spine and the sides of my neck and face. I shut the pain out and held as still and quiet as possible, while protecting my neck, face and vitals. I knew if I held still, the bear would eventually stop biting and leave to check on her cubs.
"I'm still working through the Facebook messages and plan to thank everyone that sent prayers and healing wishes."
Talk us through how the last few months have been for you. How many emails, messages or phone calls do you think you've had? Have you had any interview requests from places you never thought you'd get interview requests from?
I took the video with only a handful of hunting buddies in mind to share it with. I had no idea it would go viral nor at the rate it did. Within minutes of posting the video, the Facebook messages began rolling in. Within hours, my phone and email were blowing up with media requests from most every major news channel, radio talk show and newspaper around the country, and many overseas, including Australia, Germany, Hungary, and many from Europe and the UK.
I deleted about 300 voice messages from random people and media because my voicemail kept filling up. I also had about 300 emails and 4000 Facebook messages. I'm still working through the Facebook messages and plan to thank everyone that sent prayers and healing wishes.
You don't have scars...Todd has scars
© Todd Orr
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What's the weirdest or craziest offer you've had since this whole thing? Has anyone offered to turn your experience into a movie yet!?
I have had a couple offers from film entertainment companies out of LA, California. A possible documentary and also a television series. I have not committed or signed any contracts yet, however.
Maybe the craziest offer was from a major news station in New York City. They asked me to take a night flight to New York for an 8:00am live interview, less than 36 hours after I was out of the hospital. I hadn't even washed the blood out of my hair yet and I had surgery planned the next day.
Last question - what do you think you've learned anything from this whole situation? I mean, the bear attack is one thing, the second bear attack is another thing, but all of this crazy social media fame and mainstream media attention is another thing entirely. It's a pretty uncommon series of events...
I'm sure I could have gotten a lot more attention if I had done a few news or radio station interviews and could have used the exposure to try to make some extra money to pay hospital bills, but I'm a solitary person and chose not too.
Of the nearly 400 messages I had for interviews and articles, I have only responded to three film companies and three magazine and website interviews to date. I will likely do a few more now that I'm more comfortable chatting about the attack and have healed up well.
The most important thing I have learned from this entire ordeal is to be sure to remove your phone number from Facebook before you post a viral video!