A man resembling a “mummy” has been rescued from a bear’s den a month after the bear attacked and dragged him to its lair for a future meal, according to reports in Russia. Named only as Alexander, the victim is said to have been severely injured and close to death when hunting dogs supposedly found him in Russia’s remote Tuva region.
According to the Siberian Times, Alexander explained: “The bear preserved me as food for later. I drank my own urine to survive.”
The emaciated man was reportedly rushed to hospital where medics discovered he’d broken his spine after being set upon by the brown bear and was preserved as ‘tin-can’ food to eat later, say local reports in the region.
A group of local hunters found Alexander after their dogs refused to leave the area of the den. Their persistent barking pushed the hunters to check inside the lair, and when they did they apparently saw what they believed to be a “human mummy” – until they realized he was alive.
Alexander remembers his first name but not his age, and was reportedly in the den for around one month, drinking urine to survive. He is said to have told doctors that the predator had overpowered him – then tossed him in its den where it kept him for a month.
Local medics say they cannot explain how the man survived, but he is now in intensive care with multiple injuries and rotting skin. He can move his arms, local hospital doctors said.
Fake, or not? Despite skepticism, many Russian news sites have reported the claims, however, and the EADaily news agency who first reported the story insists its sourcing is accurate.
