Man uses karate to fight off black bear

An Asian black bear.
Photo by kajornyot wildlife photography /Shutterstock

A 63-year-old man, who has chosen to remain anonymous, found himself staring into the dark eyes of a black bear in the town of Naganohara, Japan. Instead of losing his cool as the bear sprang into action, the high-ranking karate practitioner used his martial arts expertise to defend himself and fight off the 1.9-meter-tall bear, specifically aiming for its eyes. After a bit of a showdown, the bear finally gave up and fled the scene. The man escaped with some scrapes and bites to his face and body, but impressively drove himself to the hospital. Gunma police officials have since advised people not to use martial arts should they come across a bear in the wild, but hey, the tactic sure came in handy this time around! Karate chop!


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