The bear was still close when Brian G. Harris reached the clearing.
It was July 2, 1976, near Haines Junction in the Yukon. Jacoba Floris, 22, had been hiking in a wooded area when an adult black bear attacked her.
The bear weighed about 325 pounds.
It knocked Floris down, mauled her, and bit her. Another young woman escaped the immediate area and alerted people at a nearby lodge.
Harris was among those who responded.
He was 29 years old and worked as a general helper. By the time he arrived, the bear had been diverted away from Floris, but the danger had not ended.
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The animal remained nearby.
It began circling.
Floris was badly injured and could not simply get up and leave the area. Anyone trying to help her had to deal with the bear first.
Harris placed himself between Floris and the animal.
That position gave the bear another target. It also kept the animal from having a clear path back to the injured woman.
The bear continued circling.
At one point, it turned and chased another man. The man ran to a tree and climbed out of reach.
Harris did not follow him.
Instead, he ran toward the bear.
He carried a hatchet.
Harris closed the distance and struck the animal with it. The blow disrupted the chase and pulled the bear’s attention away from the man in the tree.
But the bear did not leave.
It returned to the area near Floris and began circling again.
Harris continued diverting it.
The situation was not stable. The bear had already attacked one person and pursued another. Harris had no barrier between himself and the animal. The hatchet gave him a tool, but not control.
His job in that moment was narrower.
Keep the bear away from Floris.
Keep it occupied.
Create enough time for someone with a better way to stop the attack to arrive.
Eventually, another man reached the scene with a gun and killed the bear.
Only then could the group focus fully on Floris.
She required extensive hospitalization for the injuries she suffered during the attack. She eventually recovered.
The rescue did not depend on Harris overpowering the animal. He did not.
It depended on his willingness to remain between the bear and the person who could no longer protect herself.
When the bear chased someone else, Harris drew it back.
When it circled toward Floris, he kept diverting it.
He stayed inside the problem until the danger could be stopped.
What He Did And Why It Is Worth Noticing
Brian G. Harris responded after a black bear mauled Jacoba Floris, placed himself between her and the circling animal, ran toward the bear when it chased another man, struck it with a hatchet, and continued diverting it until someone arrived with a gun.
That is what he did.
It is worth noticing because Harris did not enter a danger that had already passed. The bear remained active, had already injured Floris, and was still moving between the people at the scene.
His action was not a single strike.
It was staying close enough to keep the animal focused on him instead of returning to Floris.
A woman lay injured in the woods. A bear was still circling. Harris stepped between them and held its attention until the threat was stopped.
That changed what happened next.
If an injured person could not move and a large animal was still circling nearby, would you place yourself between them?