Cellphone helps man escape Polar Bear Attack

Paul Ciampanelli pawnation.com It is a common misconception that one should play dead in case of a bear attack. But if that's not the right move, what should you do? Based on Garett Kolsun's experience, you should hypnotize the bear with your phone. According to the Daily Mail U.K., Kolson, 40, saved his own life by distracting an attacking polar bear with his cellphone. The polar bear attacked Kolsun in Churchill, Manitoba, Canada, which has so many polar bears in it that it's known as the "Polar Bear Capital of the World." Kolsun, newly moved to Churchill from Winnipeg, didn't know anything about that. After spending last Friday night having drinks at a local bar, Kolsun was walking home early Saturday morning when he heard a sound behind him. It was a polar bear, seemingly out of nowhere, and it was charging at him. The bear caught up to Kolsun, biting into the man's hip and swatting at him with its claws. Kolsun managed to escape for a moment, but the bear soon had him pinned against the locked door of a nearby building. In desperation, Kolsun used his cellphone to try to distract the bear. "I pulled my cellphone out of my pocket, turned it on and the screen lit up," Kolsun sad. "I turned it towards the bear, put it in his face." Amazingly, it worked. The bear was taken aback by the shiny phone and took a step away. "When it stepped back, luckily, it knocked over a planter. It startled the bear and it turned its head. So when it did, I just ran," said Kolsun. Kolsun escaped the bear and got himself to the hospital, where he was treated for the bear bites he suffered. He is now in stable condition. Manitoba Conservation caught the bear on Saturday. It is now being assessed. Meanwhile, Kolsun has some words of advice for visitors to Churchill: "?When you're in Churchill, take a cab. Or drive. Don't walk after dark."