Woman in Alaska uses jiu-jitsu and help from her dog to survive bear attack

A woman in Alaska survived an attack by an enraged female bear weighing over 350 kilograms thanks to her dog and jiu-jitsu techniques, Report informs, citing local TV channel KTUU.

The woman was walking with her dog near the small settlement of Bells Flats, located approximately 16 kilometers from the city of Kodiak. She unexpectedly encountered the female bear near a stream. When the predator charged, the woman attempted to climb a steep slope, while her dog distracted the bear, granting her time to reach a better position.

"Thinking back on it now, I have done a small amount of jiu-jitsu training, actually," Katelynn Lane said. "And that position that I was in is exactly how you would create space in jiu-jitsu, right?

"You use one leg to kind of block and you kick with the other leg. I don't know if that was what made that happen or if that was entirely instinctual, but if a person wanted to attribute it to some sort of training, then I suppose that would be it."

As the bear returned to the hill, it grabbed Lane's right leg. Lying on her back with her feet pointed downslope, Lane used the leverage to deliver a defensive kick directly to the bear's face, halting the encounter.

The brief, intense struggle lasted only minutes. Lane's father, who was on FaceTime with her during the walk, had to watch the entire incident play out on his screen from thousands of miles away. Lane says having him there as a witness has helped her process the mental weight of the encounter.

"Knowing that my father was there and he was able to say this encounter probably lasted three minutes at most," Lane said. "In that time, aside from the one moment where I was able to flip onto my back, there was really no reprieve. And guilt-wise, it makes me feel a little bit better, right? I'm kicking myself every other minute thinking, gosh, could have prevented this altogether potentially."

Despite the ordeal, Lane refuses to blame the bear, framing the incident not as a malicious attack but as a mother's natural protective behavior. She sustained mostly deep bruising and minor superficial scratches, which she says are healing well.