Man kicks and punches away American black bear mauling his wife
In a horrific dawn attack at a gospel camp in remote Canadians woods, a mother-of-three was pinned down and mauled by an American black bear in front of her family, before her husband managed to kick and punch it away.
33-year-old Casadi Schroeder miraculously survived and has now revealed how the traumatic incident unfolded, and left her severely injured in the leg that needed 34 staples.
According to reports, on June 10, Casadi woke up to the sound of the bear attempting to claw in through her cabin door a Bethel Gospel Camp, where she was a guest speaker, the Daily Mail reported.
However, her pastor husband, Brad Schroeder, also 33, scared the bear away. But the issue was far from over, as the couple feared that the wild animal would attack a tent near the food hall where a group of children was sleeping.
The pair was not able to raise an alarm or alert anyone as there was no phone signal near their camp in Jeanette Lake in Meadow Lake Provincial Park, Saskatchewan.
Gathering all the courage she could muster, Casadi followed the bear to the food hall, while maintaining a safe distance, and distracted him as he tried to climb into the window of the building.
Casadi, of Lanigan, Saskatchewan, said: “There was no cell service and I felt really anxious.I knew there were kids sleeping in a pop-up tent on the way to the camp’s kitchen and I thought if he was hungry they weren’t safe. I told my husband that I didn’t feel good about it. I was keeping a good distance from the bear but I knew I had to warn people. There was no cell service at this camp so I couldn’t call anyone. When I took the blind corner at the kitchen, I saw the bear looking in the window. When he saw me, he stopped and turned around," she said.
The brave mother said she did not fear the bear until it began charging towards her, subsequently pinning her down and piercing her leg with its sharp incisors.
“I wasn’t scared at that point I just thought he was curious and I knew bear attacks were uncommon. In what felt like the blink of an eye he was right in front of me charging toward me and I started to panic. I knew I needed to stay calm and not run, but back away slowly. He started running at me really fast. I felt his teeth sink into my leg. I was so shocked I began yelling at the top of my lungs. He was biting me so deep, it felt like it was to the bone. I thought I was going to die. I spoke to Jesus at that moment and said, ‘I am ready to go’. I knew that if he went anywhere near my neck I was going to be dead," she said.
Her husband immediately ran to her rescue and began kicking and punching the bear as it continued to maul her.
“The next thing I saw was this barefoot kick the bear right into his head. It was my husband.”
Brad added: “In a situation like that you don’t even have time to think you just run.
“I have little snippets of memory but all I wanted to do was get that bear off her.”
As soon as the bear let go of Casadi, she managed to somehow bolt to the nearest cabin and its occupants pulled her inside to safety.
At the same time, the father ran to the family's private cabin and was relieved to find his children, Mika, 6, Phin, 2, and Noah, 8, safe inside.
The couple was able to get in touch with medical authorities who arrived at the camp an hour later and rushed Casadi to Meadow Lake Hospital. Doctors had to close the wounds and stitch them together with a staggering 34 staples.
Casadi said: “The doctor told me my injuries were the best-case scenario. If that bear had bitten me from the waist up I’d probably have life-threatening injuries. I think it was God and Jesus who ensured that it wasn’t more serious and that the damage wasn’t life-threatening.”
Later, the black bear was trapped and put down by conservation officers. They were able to match its DNA to Casadi's hair strands.
A spokesperson from the Ministry of Environment said: “Conservation officers trapped a black bear in the area Sunday afternoon that appeared to be similar to the one involved in the attack.
“The bear was put down and sent to the University of Saskatchewan for a necropsy. DNA samples were also sent to the Alberta Fish and Wildlife lab in Edmonton for testing. Those tests have confirmed that the bear captured and put down was the same bear involved in the attack."
The family claims that the traumatic experience has only strengthened their resolve to go out camping. However, Casadi and the children are currently undergoing counseling to help soothe their trauma.
“Our whole family has some psychologist appointments to help us work through the trauma but we feel very blessed," she said.
“While I’m not in the state of mind to go camping yet, I definitely will in the future.”
The husband said: “It’s really a miracle that it wasn’t worse. We’re still praying and processing the whole thing.”