PHETCHABUN PROVINCE, THAILAND — A man visiting a buddhist temple in Thailand earlier this week was mauled half to death by a captive bear, after making the mistake of not only teasing her, but standing too close.
On August 2, Naiphum Promratee, 36, donated some money to feed Kaew, an Asian black bear living on the Luang Pu Lamai Monastery grounds. He reportedly dangled the food just above her open jaw, yanking the meal away the moment she got close. The tables quickly turned on him, though, when Kaew stood up and pulled Naiphum into her enclosure.
Getting practically eaten alive as the bear ripped flesh off of him, Naiphum's friends tried everything they could think of to get the bear to stop the attack. Unfazed by their attempts, Kaew pulled Naiphum further into the enclosure, dragging him around like a ragdoll. Though he appears lifeless, Naiphum is still alive. One of Naiphum's friends ran into the caged area and started beating the bear with a pole.
Eventually though, the animal did let Naiphum go, and his friends managed to get him out of there. According to AEC News Today, he was rushed to the nearest hospital to receive emergency treatment, because somehow, he did not die. He did, however, need nearly a thousand sutures to seal his flesh-torn wounds.
Meanwhile, Khao Sod English reports Kaew the bear was taken to a government wildlife center following the incident. On lockdown and noticeably depressed, officials have reportedly decided to relocate the 6-year-old bear to a more natural environment to live out her days. After being seized from an illegal owner when she was only a year old, Kaew was put in the care of the temple monks, who raised her with dozens of wild boars.
The incident was said to be Kaew's first on a human. She cannot be released into the wild due to her familiarity with people.
