A Russian man is lucky to be alive after he was attacked by a brown bear and dragged to a cave where he was “preserved" to be eaten later, according to local reports.
A group of hunters found the man after their dogs refused to leave the area of the bear's den in a remote section of the Tyva Republic in south-central Russia.
The persistent barking prompted the men to check inside the den where they found what they believed was a mummified corpse.
The man told the group he was attacked by a brown bear that broke his spine before dragging him to the den to be eaten later. He remembered his name, Alexander, but not his age. He said he was in the den for a about a month.
Alexander was rushed to the hospital where he is being treated for multiple internal injuries, infections and severe dehydration.
He told hospital staff he drank his own urine to survive and he lay motionless playing dead. "The bear preserved me as food for later," he said.
A video filmed in the hospital shows Alexander opening his eyes and confirming his name. He is pale, emaciated and covered with lacerations and areas of rotting skin. Doctors say he can move his arms. They can't believe he survived such horrific injuries.
The story was first reported by major Russian newspaper Izvestia and news agency EADaily.
CAUTION: The following video contains graphic images some people may find disturbing.
