Most people don't respond to charging bears by fighting back. Yet rather than run from a snarling Asian black bear, one Japanese man decided to put his karate skills to the ultimate test.
Atsushi Aoki, 63, was fishing in the mountains when the bear attacked him. "The bear was so strong, and it knocked me down," Aoki told Tokyo Broadcasting System. Aoki took up a karate fighter stance, putting his right fist in front of him, and punched at the bear's eyes, which made the beast retreat.
"I thought it's either 'I kill him or he kills me,'" Aoki said. After fending off the bear, he was able to get back to his car and drive to the hospital to treat the wounds on his head, arm, and leg.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
"[Aoki] drove himself to the hospital and even remembered to grab the fish that he had caught," a police officer told Agence France-Presse.
-
Trump says Smithsonian too focused on slavery's illsSpeed Read The president would prefer the museum to highlight 'success,' 'brightness' and 'the future'
-
Trump to host Kennedy Honors for Kiss, StalloneSpeed Read Actor Sylvester Stallone and the glam-rock band Kiss were among those named as this year's inductees
-
White House seeks to bend Smithsonian to Trump's viewSpeed Read The Smithsonian Institution's 21 museums are under review to ensure their content aligns with the president's interpretation of American history
-
Charlamagne Tha God irks Trump with Epstein talkSpeed Read The radio host said the Jeffrey Epstein scandal could help 'traditional conservatives' take back the Republican Party
-
CBS cancels Colbert's 'Late Show'Speed Read 'The Late Show with Stephen Colbert' is ending next year
-
Shakespeare not an absent spouse, study proposesspeed read A letter fragment suggests that the Shakespeares lived together all along, says scholar Matthew Steggle
-
New Mexico to investigate death of Gene Hackman, wifespeed read The Oscar-winning actor and his wife Betsy Arakawa were found dead in their home with no signs of foul play
-
Giant schnauzer wins top prize at Westminster showSpeed Read Monty won best in show at the 149th Westminster Kennel Club dog show
