It is a harrowing tale of survival. A Cranbrook man who was nearly mauled to death by a grizzly bear is describing the terrifying ordeal for the very first time since the attack.
“The intensity and fear is pretty real when you have a 500 pound bear on you, smelling his breath and he wants to kill you. It is pretty real,” says attack victim Wilf Lloyd.
The 56-year-old Cranbrook man was on an annual hunting trip with his son-in-law near Fernie over the Thanksgiving weekend. The pair had come across a dead deer. Lloyd went over to have a closer look and when he looked up, he suddenly found himself face to face with a grizzly.
Lloyd’s son-in-law, Skeet Podrasky, began shooting at the bear. It took several shots before the animal was finally killed.
“I was in disbelief. I did not want to believe it was happening. Probably, without a doubt, it was the most terrifying thing I have ever seen, watching a family member being eaten by a bear. All I could think of was to stop the situation,” says Podrasky.
While Podrasky was shooting at the bear, he accidentally shot Lloyd in the leg. Despite taking the gunshot injury, Lloyd is grateful to his son-in-law for saving his life.
“He is my hero. He is a hero because he stayed in the moment and saved my life. Because of what he did, I am alive,” says Lloyd.
In addition to the leg wound, Lloyd suffered injuries from the bear attack to both his hands. He’s already had five surgeries to treat all of his wounds and is expecting two more.
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