Thai man survives black bear attack during ant egg hunt (video)

A Thai man survived an attack by an Asian black bear while hunting for ant eggs within the Dong Yai Wildlife Sanctuary in the Isaan province of Buriram at the weekend.

The victim’s wife, 56 year old Warn Chernprakone, shared details of the incident on Sunday, March 10 with Matichon. Warn explained that her 60 year old husband, Phumin Joysaku, entered the forest in the morning to search for ant eggs. The eggs and pupae of weaver ants are also known as Khai Mod Daeng in Thai.

Warn went on to explain that Phumin made a phone call to her at about 12pm saying he had been attacked by the bear and needed assistance. She hurried to the scene with some neighbours and found Phumin sitting on the ground covered in blood and suffering from severe wounds to his arms and legs.

Phumin is currently receiving treatment at Non Din Daeng Hospital and his condition is stable. During a media interview, Phumin revealed that the attack occurred near Khao Luk Chang in the eastern part of the Dong Yai Wildlife Sanctuary.

According to Phumin, he was collecting ant eggs when he sensed an animal approaching from behind. Upon turning around, he came face-to-face with the bear, which immediately pawed at his arm, bit his leg, and dragged him away.

Phumin said that he brandished a knife to intimidate the bear and may have inadvertently injured the animal. Startled by the commotion, the bear let him go and fled into the dense forest. Phumin expressed remorse, saying he had no intention of harming the bear but felt compelled to defend himself.

Their neighbour, 65 year old Khamkhian Sornpanya, revealed that others in the community had encountered the bear before and believed it to be the same one that attacked Phumin. The locals were taken aback by the bear’s aggressive behaviour, as it had never posed a threat to anyone in the area previously.

The director of the sanctuary, Aomsuan Raksat, reported that the bear was likely a female Asian black bear weighing about 100 kilogrammes. The authorities observed the bear and her cubs drinking and enjoying water near the scene earlier.

Somsuan urged locals to report the presence of wild animals approaching community areas to authorities. They would push them further into the deeper forest to ensure the safety of both animals and humans.