As the man wandered around, seemingly distracted and possibly on his phone, a bear named Sabina, a former circus bear, quietly approached him.
At some point, Sabina decided she’d had enough. She jumped into the water, and that’s when the man began wrestling with her.
During the struggle, he was seen holding the bear’s head underwater while gripping her ears tightly.
Eventually, he let go, and both he and the bear swam off in opposite directions.
Another person on social media shared: “What a freak, he was very lucky, the bear probably once belonged to some circus, hence it probably did not show sudden aggression towards humans. However, it is a wild animal !!!!!!”
Sabina the bear stalks her intruder who jumped in the water to escapeX/wnukers
“The body language was very clear, also its actions. It was quite a healthy and active bear capable of doing fatal harm to him but it didn’t.”
The incident took place in May 2020, shortly after Warsaw Zoo had reopened following the country’s COVID-19 lockdown.
Ann Karczewska, a spokesperson for the zoo, explained how the man managed to survive the ordeal.
Speaking to The Independent, she said: “She [Sabina the bear] used to belong to a circus and is accustomed to the presence of people, but she absolutely did not expect a human attack.
The unnamed 23-year-old wrestles the bear in the waterX/wnukers
The man, whose name was never released, was charged with disturbing the peace, not wearing a face mask during the incident—violating Poland’s COVID rules—and animal cruelty.
In addition to community service, he faced fines ranging from $1,230 to $7,380.
The man also made a promise to stop drinking alcohol.
