Jakub Moravec (Photo : Reuters/Hakon Mosvold Larsen)
What was supposed to be an exciting camping trip for six tourists on the eve of a the solar eclipse was replaced with fear when a polar bear suddenly entered the tent of Jakub Moravec in Norway's Arctic Svalbard region while he was asleep, Thursday.
According to CNN, investigation is ongoing on the incident that took place in Fredheim, Tempelfjorden where Moravec, together with 5 other companions, went to a ski and snowmobile getaway and at the same time see as the moon totally blocks the sun on Friday.
The Czech tourist was dragged and clawed by the bear but luckily survived the attack with slight injuries to the chest, arm and back. He also sustained shallow gashes on his back.
Narrating the story from his hospital bed, Moravec, 37, said that he was awakened and found the bear inside his tent. Startled, he tried to fend it off and one of fellow campers was able to drive it by shooting and injuring it eventually.
"It was going for my head. I used my hands to protect my head," according to the bear attack survivor. He also mentioned that at the time of the encounter, all he was focused on was to save his head from being ripped off -- fear enveloped him only after the fact.
Another member of the group, Zuzana Hakova, who was at another tent that time, said her mother also came to the rescue and fired shots three times that scared the bear away.
Later, the beast was cornered and killed by the rescue crew. It had to go through a fence put up by other tourists where it was put down, The Washington Post reported.
The injured camper was flown on a helicopter to Longyearbyen hospital to seek medical attention and is said to be fine and happy.
Manager of the hospital, Aksel Bilicz, talked about the risks encompassing trips to the Artic and how people flock the archipelago even before the total solar eclipse, clueless of where to go.
"Both the weather conditions and the bears can be very dangerous," added Bilicz.
Incidents of fatal bear attacks have been reported in the United States as well. In 2014, the lifeless body of Darsh Patel was found two hours after a black bear have allegedly followed their group as they were hiking at Apshawa Preserve in New Jersey.
A similar incident occurred in 2010, this time, in Ohio. Brent Kandra, a bear caretaker, was reported to have been attacked by a captive brown bear in a property where exotic pets are kept.
Meanwhile, Jakub Moravec expressed high hopes for a quick recovery so he can return to enjoy the beautiful mountains on Svalbard soon.
