PEOPLE BEING PEOPLE

A Canadian man fended off an attacking black bear by grabbing hold of the beast’s tongue. Gilles Cyr said he was walking through the woods when the bear jumped out of the trees. “When I opened up my eyes, it was on top of me—with the friggin’ noise, it’s crazy the way it growls,” said Cyr. “I thought I was dead.” But as the bear opened its mouth to bite him, he grabbed its tongue and held on to it. “I says, ‘If you’re going to hurt me, I’m going to hurt you too.’” The shocked bear backed away from Cyr, who escaped with superficial wounds.