MAN SURVIVES BEAR MAULING

A Vancouver Island man who survived an attack by a grizzly bear said he was working in the bush when a sixth sense told him he wasn't alone.
"I have a really keen sense. I had a feeling somebody or something was watching me," said Brent Case, 53, whose encounter with a grizzly occurred last week while he was taking photos near Bella Coola, about 300 kilometres north of Vancouver.
Prowling nearby was one of Canada's biggest predators, waiting for the right moment to pounce.
"I said, 'this is not happening, this is not happening,'" Case said when he saw the bear coming.
Being mauled by a grizzly bear and living to tell the tale does not happen very often either.
"I put my head down because he was coming at me. I had my axe, but I couldn't hit him 'cause he was too close and he has an agenda," he said. "I threw my axe down and I said, 'the best thing I can do is play dead.'"
And that's probably what saved his life, although that didn't stop the grizzly from biting him numerous times and gnawing the scalp on the back of his head.
"I thought, 'he's eating my brains.' I knew it was happening," Case recalled.
"I just thought, 'God, I hope he gets it over with.' I was down there shaking so bad. I was bleeding -- and the sound and everything, and I just thought, 'I'm too young to die.'"
Luckily for bear savvy Case, playing dead caused the beast to lose interest and the giant predator eventually lumbered away. So did Case.
Despite deep gashes, bites and being blinded by blood, Case managed to run away with a crouch, make his way to his truck and drive 25 kilmetres to the nearest gas station.
B.C. Ambulance came to the rescue at the station, which Case said was one bumpy ride.
"If Gordon Campbell is gonna fix roads, one he should fix is the Bella Coola Road," he said. "I thought I was gonna die a few times."
It will be a slow recovery for Case as he heals, but the seasoned outdoorsman isn't afraid of going back to the bush. He can hardly wait.
He says if ever meets another hungry grizzly, he's prepared to play dead again.
Case is from Saanich, Vancouver Island and thanks his love for his family and his will to live for surviving the attack.