In a recent incident that shook the tranquility of Grand Teton National Park’s Signal Mountain, Shayne Patrick Burke, a 35-year-old disabled veteran Army reservist, bravely fought off a fierce mama grizzly bear. Burke, who had encountered extreme violence during his military service, described the bear attack as the most intense experience of his life.

Burke had ventured into the woods in western Wyoming with the aim of capturing an image of a Great Grey Owl. However, as he hurried back to the parking lot where his wife awaited him, he sensed an unsettling presence. Employing various strategies to prevent unexpected encounters with bears, such as breaking branches, singing, and talking to himself aloud, Burke’s instincts alerted him to the presence of a bear cub. He quickly unholstered his bear spray, but it was too late. The mother bear charged towards him before he had a chance to deploy the spray.

In an instinctive act of self-preservation, Burke made a split-second decision to lie face-down on the ground, protecting his vital organs by interlocking his hands behind his neck. The grizzly bear attacked him, biting his shoulder, legs, buttocks, and slamming him to the ground. However, Burke’s life was saved by a stroke of luck. As the bear lunged for his neck in a “kill bite,” she also bit into the bear spray can that Burke had firmly held onto throughout the attack, causing it to explode in her mouth. Startled by the explosion, the bear retreated, allowing Burke to escape up a nearby hill.

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Despite sustaining severe injuries, including bites to his hands and neck, Burke managed to text his wife, informing her of the attack as he applied makeshift tourniquets to his wounded legs. While waiting for assistance, he recorded a farewell video to his loved ones, uncertain about his chances of survival. Fortunately, a helicopter and ambulance arrived just in time to transport him to a hospital where he received immediate medical attention.

 

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Surviving the attack, Burke credits his knowledge of bear behavior and preparedness with bear spray as the key factors that kept him alive. Expressing his gratitude, he thanked the Jenny Lake Rangers for saving his life. Remarkably, despite the trauma he endured, Burke holds no animosity towards the grizzly bear. He acknowledged that the attack occurred due to being in the wrong place at the wrong time and attributed the mother bear’s actions to instinctively protecting her cub.

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Park officials have confirmed that the bear will not be captured or harmed, a decision that exceeds Burke’s own wishes. In his heartfelt statement, he pleaded for the preservation and respect of wildlife, acknowledging the inherent risks associated with sharing their habitats. Burke’s extraordinary survival story serves as a testament to the importance of preparedness and understanding in mitigating human-wildlife conflict and the value of bear spray as a vital defense tool in such encounters.

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