Shayne Burke, a 36‑year‑old U.S. Army reservist, survived a brutal grizzly bear attack while on his honeymoon in Wyoming—only to record a haunting final message for loved ones as the animal mauled him. In a rare and chilling account, Burke shared that he stumbled upon a bear cub, triggering a life‑threatening encounter where he believed he was about to die. But despite broken bones and deep wounds, he managed to crawl to safety and later described the surreal moments when his survival hung in the balance as UNILAD reported today.
Burke recounted that the bear clamped onto his leg and bit straight through the bear spray can he still gripped, inadvertently triggering it in the beast’s mouth and halting the assault. He recorded an emergency voice note afterward, knowing it could be his last words—a message filled with urgency, fear, and raw emotion. “As soon as I kind of locked eyes with her, she was almost on top of me,” he said, describing what became a terrifying struggle for survival amidst the rocky terrain of Grand Teton National Park UNILAD’s exclusive recall.
“So basically, we had done a little bit of research… So basically… as soon as I kind of locked eyes with her, she was almost on top of me…”
Despite being mauled and thrown around, Burke remained conscious and crawled under fallen trees to put distance between himself and the bear. He suffered a broken shoulder and deep wounds through muscle and fascia—but miraculously avoided life‑threatening arterial damage. Within 24 hours he was released from hospital, the attack described by his doctors as catastrophic yet survivable thanks to that unexpected bear spray twist as detailed in his UNILAD account.
This rare survivor story brings to mind other heart‑wrenching encounters with bears. Timothy Treadwell—the infamous “Grizzly Man”—recorded the final screams of his fatal encounter with a brown bear in Alaska, his audio surviving as a haunting testament to a man unable to escape. Unlike Treadwell, Burke walked away—and with a message. His decision to record his thoughts, not knowing if rescue would arrive, turned a terrifying episode into a testament of determination and presence of mind as LADbible outlined.
“The audio begins with Amie asking if the bear is still out there, before Timothy screams: ‘Get out here! I’m getting killed out here!’”
Experts urge that bear attacks don’t have to end this way if people are prepared. Alaska bear‑attack survivor Tyler Johnson recently stressed on local news the importance of carrying deterrents, making noise on trails, and having a “healthy fear” of such powerful animals as the Fairbanks news outlet reported. He reminded readers, “They can slap your face off,” underscoring how close survival may depend on split‑second awareness.
Jaysen’s record aside, bear attacks remain rare. Still, fatalities across North America, Europe, and Asia frequently make headlines—like the pair in Canada who managed to send a terrified SOS text before perishing, or the first-ever bear‑caused death in Florida earlier this year, both underlining unpredictable threats in wild and suburban settings alike UNILAD’s story of the Canadian couple and the Florida case described by wildlife authorities via official autopsy reports.
“The couple killed by a bear in Banff were able to send a SOS text: ‘Bear attack bad’”
Burke’s account also highlights critical survival strategies: attempt to play dead if a grizzly charges and clamp onto your lower body, keep bear spray accessible, and don’t flee or climb trees—a bear can outrun and outmaneuver both. Wildlife authorities across North American parks consistently encourage these tactics, especially after recent incidents where bear maulings ended fatally after hikers panicked toward trees as medical responder briefings emphasized.
Today, Burke’s final message is not just a siren from the edge of death—it’s a cautionary lesson. He turned what could have been a story about tragedy into one about human resilience and presence of mind. Loved ones listened to that recording not with despair, but with shock and gratitude that those thoughts were preserved so clearly when every second counted.
Stories like Burke’s renew the urgency of preparedness when venturing into bear country, whether on a casual hike or an adventurous honeymoon. Carry deterrents, respect wildlife distance, stay alert—and never underestimate the power of the mind under pressure. Because for both survivors and victims, it’s often the smallest decisions that shape the outcome.
