A 66-year-old Vietnam war veteran was attacked by a bear Thursday right outside his home in Mariposa County, California.
Larry Yepez said he went outside at around 4 a.m. and startled the bear, which was most likely rummaging through the veteran's trash. The bear turned its attention on him and began to approach him, ABC 7 reports.
Yepez said he yelled at the bear when it was about 10 feet away to tried and scare it off – something he learned when while working for the U.S. Forest Service – but it continued coming toward him and brought him to the ground.
He punched the bear with his left hand, but the bear bit his hand and wouldn't let go.
"I could hear something crunching as he had a hold of my hand. His eyes were 6 inches away from mine," he told The Fresno Bee.
The bear also ripped into Yepez's face, neck and belly. When he realized it was a fight-or-die situation, he kicked the animal on its belly, toppling it over momentarily.
When the bear lunged toward him a second time, Yepez's Yorkshire terrier Benji bit the bear's leg and distracted it, giving both just enough time to make a run for the front door. The bear followed, making an unsuccessful attempt to push through the door. Then it left.
Yepez made his way to his van and drove himself to the hospital, where he received treatment for lacerations and puncture wounds to his face, abdomen, arms, hands, legs and feet.
Yepez credited his survival to his Marine Corps background – where he learned that his vocabulary should never include the word "can't" and where he was also trained to "take the pain," according to CNN affiliate KGPE.
Wildlife official Lt. Chris Stoots said attacks like this are not common, but bear sightings have been more frequent in the last few weeks due to the drought that has been driving animals to residential areas in the hunt for food and water, the Fresno Bee reports.
The Mariposa County Sheriff's Office warned residents to be on the lookout for roaming bears and to call 911 if they should encounter one.
Wildlife personnel are now searching for the bear that attacked Yepez. It will be euthanized when it is found.
