Cheap Plastic Hairclip Saves Woman From Deadly Grizzly Bear Attack

July 29, 2024

On June 30, Vanessa Chaput's routine run near Haines Junction, Yukon, turned into a life-threatening encounter when she came face-to-face with three grizzly bears.

plastic hairclip saves woman from bear attack
CTV News

While walking her dog, Luna, Chaput found herself too close for comfort with the bears.

"I was right beside them and it was just too close," she said in an interview with Aboriginal Peoples Television Network (APTN).

Chaput attempted to give the bears space, but Luna got off leash and chased two of them away. The third bear, however, charged at Chaput.

"When the bear had taken me down with my head in its mouth, my first thought was just kind of protect your vitals, so I went straight into the fetal position," she told APTN.

A surprising and unlikely object played a crucial role in her survival. Chaput was wearing a palm-sized plastic hair clip, which broke in the bear's mouth.

"My saving grace is from Walmart," she said, holding up the broken clip. She believes the sudden breakage stunned the bear, causing it to release her momentarily.

Chaput sought refuge behind a tree, but the bear charged again. This time, Luna's barking distracted the bear long enough for Chaput to escape. "If it wasn’t for my dog barking, the bear was going to come finish the job," she said.

Bloodied and injured, Chaput made her way to the highway where she called 911 and her husband. She was taken to the hospital, where she spent weeks recovering. Her right arm suffered puncture wounds, a broken bone, and nerve damage. "And then my tricep was torn in two places," she added.

Despite the severity of the incident, Chaput holds no resentment towards the bears, Luna, or herself. "I don’t blame the bears for what happened. I don’t blame my dog or myself. It was wrong place at the wrong time. Again it could have happened to anybody," she said.

Watch the video below.