14 DAY TRIAL // A solar eclipse happened earlier today and millions of people took the time to watch it. The eclipse only appeared as a total one in the sky above the North Atlantic Ocean, which is why thousands of people flocked to the Faroe Islands and the Svalbard archipelago, hoping to catch a glimpse of it.
Among these people was 37-year-old Jakub Moravec, who traveled all the way from this home in the Czech Republic to a remote island in the Svalbard archipelago, midway between the North Pole and continental Norway in the Arctic Ocean, just to witness today's cosmic event.
Just yesterday, while sleeping in his tent and patiently waiting for the Sun, the Moon and Earth to align, the man was attacked by a polar bear. Luckily, one of his friends intervened and chased the animal away. The 37-year-old was immediately rushed to a local hospital.
The polar bear attacked without warning
Jakub Moravec insists that the polar bear attacked him without warning. He says that, while resting in his tent, he chanced to open his eyes and saw the animal towering over him. Before he could react and try to make a run for it, the polar bear went for his head.
Zuzanna Hokava, one of the man's colleagues, was in her tent together with her mother at the time when the attack occurred. She says that it was her mom who grabbed a revolver and rushed to help 37-year-old Jakub Moravec.
The woman fired the weapon and managed to plant three bullets into the animal's body. Rather than attack her too, the polar bear turned around and ran away. It is understood that, hours after the incident, it was tracked down by local authorities and killed.
“We had a rifle on the outside of each tent and we also had a revolver in our tent. The ones being attacked had no chance of getting their weapon, so my mother took her revolver and shot at the bear three times,” Zuzanna Hokava said in a statement, as cited by DM.
Jakub Moravec should make a full recovery
Polar bears count themselves among the world's most gifted and fierce predators. They are incredibly strong and they have claws and teeth that can poke holes in car doors in a matter of seconds. Even so, 37-year-old Jakub Moravec survived the attack.
In fact, the doctors treating him say he did not suffer any serious injuries. Instead, he only suffered minor wounds - more like bruises, really - to his face, his arms and his chest. It is expected that he will soon make a full recovery. Hopefully, he'll be more careful the next time he visits the Arctic to watch a solar eclipse.
