RFK Jr. Confesses To Dumping Dead Bear Cub In Central Park After Abandoning Plan To Harvest It Nearly 10 Years Ago
'I said let's go put the bear in Central Park and we'll make it look like it got hit by a bike'
Navy veteran torn apart by giant grizzly makes stunning recovery, claims he 'will win Round 2'
A 61-year-old Navy veteran stumbled into a massive grizzly bear last month while hunting deer in Montana. Although Rudy Noorlander landed the first punch, the fight did not ultimately go his way. Rather, he left Custer Gallatin National Forest shredded and missing part of his face.
Although Noorlander parted ways with his lower jaw, he kept his faith and a strong sense of humor.
Discussing his recovery with reporters Friday and showcasing a new jaw, the veteran noted on his whiteboard, "Only by the hands of God am I here," adding, "I will win Round 2."
What's the background?
TheBlaze previously reported that on Sept. 8, Noorlander ventured into the Montana wild to assist a pair of hunters in tracking down a deer they had shot and killed.
KateLynn Davis said her father, "being the Good Samaritan that he is, decided to help them search for it."
While proceeding down Yellow Mule Trail in search of the fallen deer, Noorlander came across a small bear. He raised his rifle, hoping to scare away the cub, but was ambushed by its apparent behemothic guardian.
According to his daughter, "Rudy armed his gun at the bear, but his firearm misfired, making his best choice of defense his fists, as he did not have any time to get his bear spray from his backpack."
The average grizzly bear would have been well out of Noorlander's weight class, yet this particular specimen was anything but average, reportedly standing some 10 feet tall.
"As the bear lunged, the only thing Rudy could do was punch the bear in hopes of slowing it down. Unfortunately, it did not, and after the first punch the grizzly was on top of Rudy," wrote KateLynn Noorlander.
The bear swatted trenches down the veteran's chest, bit his arms and legs, and then, "to top it all off, [the bear] gave him as what Rudy describes as the most disgusting French kiss of his life before biting down and tearing off his lower jaw," his daughter wrote on the GoFundMe page for her father.
KSL-TV reported that Noorlander also suffered a collapsed lung as a result of the attack.
According to Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks' guide on how to handle bear encounters, Noorlander appears to have gone by the book.
"Never run away. You cannot outrun a bear," says the guidance. "If a bear follows you, or slowly, purposefully or methodically approaches you ... [s]tand your ground. Get aggressive: wave your arms and shout vigorously. Get spray out and ready. Fight back if it makes contact."
Following the attack, the two hunters whom Noorlander accompanied were able to scare off the bear and summon help.
Noorlander was airlifted to Bozeman Health Deaconess Regional Medical Center in Montana for emergency treatment, then taken to the University of Utah Hospital for jaw reconstruction.
Recovery and return
Noorlander evidenced his stunning recovery Friday, taking part in a press conference along with his two adult daughters and the surgeon responsible for his new jaw.
Although he can speak, he indicated it hurts "a little." For now, he instead communicates using script on a whiteboard.
Dr. Hilary McCrary, a surgeon at the Huntsman Cancer Hospital specializing in head and neck surgery, performed the veteran's jaw surgery. She told reporters, "The first thing that was so incredible to watch is just how enthusiastic Rudy was, even after being just attacked by a grizzly bear. He was very adamant that he was going to fight this thing and get through it and, at that point, he was still on a ventilator and had a chest tube and lots of lines everywhere," reported KSL.
"For someone to be so enthusiastic about his prognosis and outcome that early is very heartwarming as a physician," added McCrary.
The surgeon reportedly put two plates in the 61-year-old's neck for stabilization, then a placeholder where his lower jaw once was. Her team reportedly developed a model jaw using Noorlander's fibula, a bone in the lower leg. After fashioning him a new jaw bone, they used grafted skin from elsewhere on Noorlander's body on the jaw as well as to create new bottom lip.
According to McCrary, the surgery took place on Sept. 28 and lasted 10 hours, reported the Associated Press.
There remains a small wound under his chin that will need to heal, but soon he'll be able to eat without fear of infection, suggested McCrary.
His family expressed optimism that he would soon be able to go home.
Noorlander told reporters via his whiteboard, "Only by the hands of God am I here. I've had a lot of inspirations and I felt the need to share my story with others, and believe it or not, I believe that this attack was an answer to my prayers and that, potentially, it could help somebody else going through something similar."
He also said in a prewritten statement, "I just want to end this by saying most of the important things in the world have been accomplished by people who have kept on trying when there seemed to be no hope at all. Even if there seems to be no hope, keep on fighting."
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University of Utah surgeons reattach man's jaw following grizzly bear attackyoutu.be
Bear Grylls shares his excitement over wading into the Jordan where his 'hero' baptized his Lord
Survivalist and former SAS trooper Bear Grylls has made little secret of his faith, stressing in an interview earlier this year, "There's always struggle, there's always hardship, but there's always faith, and faith always wins."
On Monday, Grylls noted on X that he had realized a long-standing dream: "to get in the water that Jesus was baptised in by my hero John the Baptist."
The 49-year-old Briton shared a photo in which he appears waist-deep in water on the east bank of the Jordan River, noting, "The story is so amazing, & it seems wherever Jesus went, that new birth, new life, a new vision followed."
"Bethany Beyond the Jordan," also known as Al-Maghtas, is a Christian pilgrimage site in the Jordan Valley, 5.5 miles away from the Dead Sea. This UNESCO World Heritage site, referenced in the Gospel of John, has reportedly been the place of devotion and religious activities dating back to at least the fourth century.
Grylls added in the post that "Luke (in the [B]ible) was probably a Syrian doctor before he met Jesus. He writes a reliable, poignant account of his life. It's short. I like it."
This is not the first time the survivalist has emphasized his affinity for the Gospel of Luke. In 2021, he expressed his hope that he would be like the second thief crucified next to Jesus in in Luke 23:39, who appears to be granted an express pass in his final moments.
It had always been a dream of mine to get in the water that Jesus was baptised in by my hero John the Baptist. The story is so amazing, & it seems wherever Jesus went, that new birth, new life, a new vision followed. Luke (in the bible) was probably a Syrian doctor before he met\u2026— Bear Grylls OBE (@Bear Grylls OBE) 1696248991
Speaking to the Christian Post in January, Grylls said, "The world is tougher than it's ever been" and "there are so many things hitting, especially young people from every angle."
"I think we neglect our spirituality at our own peril," continued the Emmy-winning father of three. "If you've got that connection to the Almighty, everything else is window dressing. Spirituality is such a key part of a survivor's toolbox. I say, arguably, it's the number-one thing. If you get that right, everything else is bearable and possible, and achievable. ... The solution is always found in connection with the Almighty."
Last year, he told CBN he had "kind of ditched" his faith at an early age. However, through grief and hardship, it came back to him and with it, newfound strength.
"My faith was, as you say, has been a quiet strength, like a backbone that’s sustained me a lot during those times when you’re at your wits' end, and have nothing more to give," he said. "I think my faith through that journey has been an important thing. I found it hard to talk about for a long time. But I look back now and realize that it takes a proud man to say he never needs any help. I’m not that man now."
Grylls' post preceded celebrity tattoo artist Kat Von D's viral baptism reveal by just one day.
TheBlaze previously reported that Von D, whose real name is Katherine von Drachenberg, has in recent years renounced witchcraft and the occult, having both recognized that there is "a spiritual battle taking place" and determined that she wanted to be on the right side of it. On Tuesday, she circulated footage of her baptism before a packed church of family and friends.
H/T: The Western Journal
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Officials Euthanize Grizzly Bear That Mauled Woman In Yellowstone This Summer
The bear put down Saturday by the Montana Department of Fish, Wildlife and Parks had a violent history of attacks on humans.Watch: California teen girl shoves bear off wall with her bare hands as it threatens her dogs
A Southern California teenager is receiving global attention after video went viral showing her shoving a mama bear off a wall using her bare hands as the predator threatened her dogs.
What are the details?
Hailey Morinico, 17, was captured on video rushing to save her family's four pet dogs as a mother bear with two cubs in tow sat on a wall in the back yard of her Bradbury home, swatting at the pets as they barked.
The bear was seen in the footage with her two babies walking on top of the barrier when one of Morinico's large dogs ran up barking at the bear. The mama bear swatted at the large dog, and Morinico sprang into action when the bear then started swatting at one of the smaller dogs.
"The dog that the bear grabbed, she's the baby," Morinico told KNBC-TV. "I have to protect the baby."
The teen recalled to the outlet that after she pushed the bear the predator fell back, then "the dog she grabbed ran away and I pick up my other dog and I scram."
The Daily Mail reported that in a TikTok video posted following the incident, Morinico said of the bear, "To be honest I don't think I pushed her that hard, I just pushed her enough to lose her balance."
The teen came out relatively unscathed from the incident, with a sprained finger and a scraped knee.
Morinico's mother posted on Facebook that her daughter "'Just saved our dog with super human strength," describing the scene as, "for me one of the scariest moments in life.'
'She sent the video on our family group chat and I just knew people would think it was crazy so I posted it. We did not expect this much of a reaction though!' her cousin Stephanie Lopez Villalobos, who posted the video of the rescue, told the Daily Mail.
'She's a crazy brave 17 year old!'
NBC News noted that according to experts, "squaring off with a bear should be avoided by humans at all costs."
Montana guide dies after being mauled by grizzly bear near Yellowstone National Park
A Montana man has died days after he was mauled by a grizzly bear while he was fishing alone in an area outside Yellowstone National Park.
What are the details?
The Associated Press reported that backcountry guide Charles "Carl" Mock, 40, of West Yellowstone was attacked Thursday while in a forested area along the Madison River, and sustained "significant scalp and facial wounds."
He passed away in a hospital on Saturday from a stroke, which KIFI-TV reported was "a bit of a shock" to both doctors and Mock's family after he appeared to have been recovering well after undergoing two surgeries.
Mock was able to call 911 for help after the mauling, and was found in less than an hour. He was transported via toboggan and snowmobile before he was taken by ambulance to a hospital in Idaho Falls.
Officials discovered a moose carcass roughly 50 yards from where Mock was attacked, leading them to believe the bear might have been defending the carcass.
Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks spokesperson Morgan Jacobsen told the AP that Mock had bear spray on his person during the attack and that the safety tab on the device had been pulled, but authorities do not know if he was able to use it to defend himself.
Jacobsen said that an older male grizzly was killed Friday "after it charged a group of seven game wardens and other personnel as they approached the scene of the attack." The bear, which officials are confident is the one that attacked Mock, was fired at by several people before it dropped 20 yards from the group.
Grizzly mauling near Yellowstone kills backcountry guide www.youtube.com
Anything else?
A GoFundMe page created to assist with Mock's medical bills said that he had "such passion for outdoors, hiking, fishing, photography, and is a beloved guide to countless visitors in Yellowstone."
The organizer provided an update following his passing:
We would like to let you know that early this morning Carl suffered a massive stroke and sadly, he didn't make it through. This comes as a terrible shock and is heartbreaking to everyone, since both the surgeries went so well. We will keep you updated with the service information as the plans are made. All of the money that is being donated on this page and in the cans throughout town will be given to the family to help cover the medical bills and funeral costs. We appreciate the continued support from this community to help ease these financial burdens for Carl's family.
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