The wilderness is a place of beauty, but it is also a realm of raw, unforgiving power. Every year, thousands of encounters occur between humans and wildlife. Most end peacefully, with a photo taken and a story shared. But sometimes, instinct takes over, and a peaceful hike turns into a primal battle for survival.
What happens when you are unarmed, alone, and staring into the eyes of an apex predator? These ten individuals didn’t just survive; they fought back against impossible odds.
- 1. The Runner Who Choked Out a Mountain Lion
- 2. The 61-Year-Old Who Boxed a Black Bear
- 3. Fighting a Great White Shark on Live TV
- 4. The Man Who Pried Open a Crocodile’s Jaws
- 5. Todd Orr: Attacked by the Same Grizzly Twice
- Survival Tactics Analysis
- 6. The Leopard Killer: Carl Akeley
- 7. Swallowed by a Hippo: Paul Templer
- 8. 73-Year-Old vs. Cobra
- 9. Ice Climber vs. Grizzly
- 10. The Stick vs. The Wolf
- Conclusion: The Will to Live
1. The Runner Who Choked Out a Mountain Lion
Travis Kauffman went for a routine trail run in Colorado in 2019. He heard pine needles rustling behind him and turned to see a juvenile mountain lion lunging.
The cat locked its jaws onto Kauffman’s wrist. With no weapons, Kauffman relied on pure adrenaline. “I was just screaming,” he later told reporters. Realizing the cat wouldn’t let go, he managed to pin the animal down with his knee. In a desperate bid for life, he stepped on the cat’s neck while it clawed at his face, eventually suffocating it with his bare hands.
He walked himself to the hospital with severe lacerations, needing more than 20 stitches, but he was alive.
2. The 61-Year-Old Who Boxed a Black Bear
In Sudbury, Ontario, Rick Nelson was walking his dog when he stumbled upon a black bear cub. Moments later, the mother bear charged.
Nelson, a former boxer, didn’t run. He stood his ground. As the bear stood on its hind legs to swipe, Nelson threw a right hook that connected with the bear’s teeth, injuring his hand. When the bear struck back, scratching his chest, Nelson delivered a massive uppercut to the bear’s snout. Stunned and bloodied, the bear retreated into the woods. Nelson required stitches but walked away with an incredible story.
3. Fighting a Great White Shark on Live TV
Perhaps the most famous incident on this list happened during the J-Bay Open in South Africa in 2015. Pro surfer Mick Fanning was sitting on his board waiting for a wave when a Great White Shark attacked from behind.
The encounter was broadcast live to the world. Fanning felt the shark drag him underwater by his leash. He reacted instantly, punching the shark in the back area. “I just saw fins. I was waiting for the teeth,” Fanning said. The leash snapped, and Fanning scrambled onto a jet ski rescue sled, unharmed physically but mentally shaken.
4. The Man Who Pried Open a Crocodile’s Jaws
While cycling in Costa Rica, a friend of Arthur De Westcolting was dragged into a river by a massive crocodile. Without thinking, Arthur jumped into the water.
He wrestled the beast, literally prying its jaws apart with his hands to free his friend. The crocodile thrashed violently, but the distraction allowed his friend to escape. Both men survived with severe injuries, proving that sometimes, sheer force of will can overcome millions of years of evolutionary biting power.
5. Todd Orr: Attacked by the Same Grizzly Twice
Todd Orr’s survival story is the stuff of nightmares. While scouting for elk in Montana, a Grizzly with cubs charged him. He used bear spray, but the bear ran through the mist and mauled him. Orr played dead, protecting his neck, and the bear eventually left.
Orr, bleeding and broken, began the 3-mile hike back to his truck. Ten minutes later, the same bear returned. It attacked him again, biting his arm and shoulder. Orr played dead a second time. Miraculously, he survived both attacks and drove himself to the hospital. He even recorded a video of his injuries immediately after the attack, which went viral.
Survival Tactics Analysis
How did these people survive when others didn’t? Let’s break down the statistics and tactics used in these encounters.
| Predator | Recommended Action | Successful Tactic in Story |
|---|---|---|
| Mountain Lion | Fight back aggressively; protect neck. | Suffocation / Physical striking |
| Black Bear | Make noise, make yourself big, fight back. | Boxing / Physical striking |
| Grizzly Bear | Play dead (protect vitals). Fight only if it persists. | Playing dead (twice) |
| Shark | Strike sensitive areas (eyes, gills, nose). | Punching the back/gills |
| Crocodile | Target eyes; try to induce gag reflex. | Prying jaws / Brute force |
6. The Leopard Killer: Carl Akeley
This is a historical account from 1896 regarding the father of modern taxidermy, Carl Akeley. While in Ethiopia, a leopard attacked him. His rifle jammed. As the leopard pounced, Akeley did the unthinkable: he shoved his entire right arm down the leopard’s throat.
This gagged the animal and prevented it from biting him effectively. With the leopard choking, Akeley used his free hand and knees to crush the animal’s ribs, eventually killing it. He survived with severe bite wounds but proved that humans can be deadly even without tools.
7. Swallowed by a Hippo: Paul Templer
The hippopotamus is statistically the deadliest large land mammal in Africa. Paul Templer, a safari guide, was paddling on the Zambezi River when a hippo overturned his canoe.
Suddenly, everything went dark. He realized he was head-first inside the hippo’s mouth. The hippo bit down, crushing his ribs and piercing his armpit. Templer fought to free himself, was dragged underwater, and mauled repeatedly. Through sheer resilience and the help of a fellow guide, he was rescued. He lost an arm but survived to tell the tale.
8. 73-Year-Old vs. Cobra
In Thailand, a grandmother named Mrs. Lamp Pae was using the restroom when a cobra emerged from the plumbing and latched onto her leg.
Instead of panicking, she grabbed the snake’s head, squeezed, and refused to let go. She dragged herself out of the room, shouting for help, all while choking the venomous snake. She didn’t loosen her grip until neighbors arrived and killed the snake. Her quick thinking prevented the snake from injecting a lethal dose of venom.
9. Ice Climber vs. Grizzly
Greg Boswell, a professional climber, was in the Canadian Rockies when a grizzly attacked him in the dark. The bear crunched down on his leg.
Boswell literally pried the bear’s jaws off his shin with his bare hands. The bear dropped him, and Boswell and his climbing partner fled down the mountain in the pitch black to find medical help. His climber’s grip strength likely saved his leg—and his life.
10. The Stick vs. The Wolf
In 2013, Joanne Barnaby was picking mushrooms in Canada’s Northwest Territories when a starving wolf began stalking her and her dog. The wolf drove them away from the highway, deeper into the forest, waiting for them to tire.
The ordeal lasted 12 hours. Dehydrated and exhausted, Barnaby heard a bear nearby. In a risky move, she walked toward the bear, hoping the two predators would fight. The plan worked partially, but the wolf persisted. Finally, she found a highway. When the wolf lunged, she didn’t have a gun—only a stick. She struck the wolf repeatedly in the eyes until it retreated long enough for her to flag down a truck.
Conclusion: The Will to Live
These stories share a common thread: the refusal to give up. Whether it was punching a shark, choking a mountain lion, or outsmarting a wolf, these survivors accessed a deep, primal reserve of strength. While we should always respect wildlife and keep our distance, it is comforting to know that when the worst happens, the human spirit is a formidable opponent.
