WARNING: GRAPHIC CONTENT In a terrifying incident, a woman was feared to have been dead after being savagely attacked by a bear while she was out for a walk in the woods, but she miraculously survived.
Bear attacks are one of the most horrifying experiences one can chance upon in the wild – and encounters with these beasts rarely end well.
In a chilling incident, a woman was feared to have been killed after being savagely attacked by a bear while she was out for a walk in the woods in Tynda, Siberia. The woman was initially believed to have been brutally torn apart by the ravenous bear during her leisurely stroll with a friend, but astonishingly, she was later discovered buried alive.
Back in 2015, Natalya Pasternak was horrifically mauled and left concealed under leaves by a bear, yet miraculously, she survived. The then 55-year-old postal officer had ventured into the woods with her 80-year-old friend Valentina Gorodetskaya and her dog to gather birch sap for creating vitamin-enriched syrup.
At some point during their outing, the women stumbled upon a wild and famished bear which displayed bizarre behaviour. After the dog failed to frighten off the beast and fled, Natalya courageously positioned herself between the bear and her elderly companion, aware the older woman stood no chance of outrunning the creature.
The colossal animal then launched an attack, sinking its sharp claws into Natalya’s flesh, leaving her with severe wounds across her head, arms and legs. The bear also scalped her and chewed her leg down to the bone, leaving her with enormous scars that remain to this day.
Despite her valiant efforts to repel the attack by striking the bear’s eyes, she was unable to stop the terrifying assault. Whilst her elderly companion dashed to the closest structure and summoned assistance, Natalya collapsed nearly lifeless on the ground.
Yet the bear halted before devouring her, and instead hauled her motionless form some distance before concealing her beneath a pile of foliage.
Natalya recalled her terrifying experience to The Siberian Times, explaining: “When I saw the bear, I tried to escape. Then I remembered about my friend and stopped. That was the moment when the predator attacked me. The animal started to tear my legs apart and I tried to attack him with something I was using to collect birch sap.”
Natalya went on: “Then a quick thought hit me: ‘If the bear takes my legs, I’ll be disabled for the rest of my life. It’s better to die than to be a burden to my children.” Her companion, Valentina, was also hitting the beast with a branch whilst offering prayers. The bear then turned its attention to her elderly mate and struck her across the back. After that, it resumed mauling Natalya.
Natalya said: “Valentina escaped and, despite her age, she made it to a water cleaning facility and called the emergency services. Despite such a nightmare, I didn’t go mad. A prayer that I was screaming out loud helped me.”
Subsequently, the bear stood over her almost lifeless body, circling it as though it was guarding a treasured prize. But then hunters turned up and shot the bear. A group of hunters in Tynda discovered Natalya’s body, which had been savagely mauled by the bear and hidden under leaves, leaving the quinquagenarian understandably traumatised.
They shot the bear, and despite her severe injuries, Natalya was still alive. Sergei Ivanov found her on the ground, heroically rescued her, and swiftly rushed her to the nearest hospital. Despite the horrifying ordeal, after weeks of rest and medical treatment, Natalya made a miraculous full recovery.
