'I was mauled by a grizzly bear and was left holding a piece of my face - I had to make heartbreaking choice'

A father who was left horrifically injured after being mauled by a grizzly bear has revealed how he came within seconds of ending his own life after the attack left him permanently scarred.

Jeremy Evans, 39, was hunting in the Alberta Rockies in 2017 when he was set upon by a mother grizzly protecting her cub. The brutal mauling ripped off the left side of his face and left deep wounds across his body, in what doctors later described as catastrophic injuries.

In a new memoir, Jeremy, from Canada, recalls the terrifying moment he tried to take his own life in the wilderness. “I was sitting there holding a piece of my face... I was thinking, ‘do I try to endure the unendurable, or just end it on my terms?’” he said.

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“So I loaded my rifle, placed it on the ground, put my chin on the barrel and pulled the trigger.” The gun misfired, and that stroke of fate forced him to fight for survival.

The attack took place within hours of arriving on the mountains on August 24. Jeremy, an experienced hunter, spotted some sheep and sat quietly to observe them.

A female bear, protecting her cub nearby, charged at him unexpectedly before he could grab his weapon.

The dad had “just half a second to react” and immediately fought back, hitting the bear in the face with his backpack. Eventually, after a violent struggle, Jeremy managed to fight off the bear by pinching its underbelly.

He explained: "She made a horrible sound and started bucking like a bronco and squealing like a pig. I let go, and she ran away defecating across the mountainside.”

He told The Sun : “I found a piece of flesh with a little bit of bristles on there and some soft spot which was part of my moustache.

“Then I found another larger chunk that felt like hard cartilage. This was a piece of my ear and a piece of my scalp. So I picked that up off the ground."

Despite severe blood loss and shock, Jeremy managed to stagger through the wilderness and later drive 14 miles to reach help.

He spent five weeks in hospital, undergoing five major operations and more than a dozen minor surgeries in a bid to save his life.

The psychological scars of the ordeal proved just as challenging. Jeremy later admitted he suffered with PTSD, triggered by even the smallest reminders of the attack.

At times, he struggled with suicidal thoughts, but credits his young daughter as his reason to keep going. The memory of singing “Baby Shark” with her became an anchor during his darkest moments.

Now, eight years on, Jeremy has rebuilt his life and is determined to use his story to help others.

He has published a memoir, Mauled, and is raising money to support PTSD research while working as a motivational speaker.

Bear attacks remain rare across North America, but wildlife experts stress that encounters with mothers protecting cubs are often the most dangerous.

The Samaritans is available 24/7 if you need to talk. You can contact them for free by calling 116 123, email jo@samaritans.org or head to the website to find your nearest branch. You matter.

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