Man Cuts Off Arm With Pocket Knife To Escape Bear Attack In Thailand Zoo

A 32-year-old man was forced to cut off his arm with a pocket knife after a bear dug his teeth into him and refused to let go at a wildlife foundation in Chiang Mai, Thailand. According to Newsweek, the man, identified as Stefan Claudio Specogna from Switzerland, was feeding a caged Asian black bear at the wildlife sanctuary when it grabbed his right arm in its jaws. The 32-year-old tried to free his arm but eventually resorted to cutting it off with a pocket knife when the animal refused to let go. 

According to Newsweek, the incident occurred in the compound of the foundation. Mr Stefan had extended his right arm into the bear's cage to feed it when the wild animal unexpectedly bit him, refusing to release its grip. After struggling to free his arm from the bear's jaw, and not wanting to harm the animal, the 32-year-old man used a knife to sever his arm and escape the bear's attack.

Mr Stefan was given first aid by bystanders and rushed to a nearby hospital. From there, he was taken to another hospital for surgery. His arm was damaged from the elbow down. His severed arm was found in a shredded condition, Bangkok Post reported. 

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Asian black 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. They are usually quite shy but are more aggressive towards humans than brown bears and American black bears. 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.

Meanwhile, in a similar incident last year, a 23-year-old animal keeper was mauled to death by a Himalayan black bear in the Indira Gandhi Zoological Park in Andhra Pradesh. B Nagesh Babu was attacked by Jihwan, the bear, estimated to be around 15 years old, an official said. 

"Nagesh had left all the doors open in the animal night house and gone inside to clean, following which the animal came into the night house and attacked the keeper," the zoo said in a release. According to the Zoo, Mr Babu was found lying in an unconscious state with serious injuries on his head, left arm, and chest by the animal night house.