Dog chases 120-kilo bear up tree in central Sweden
What was supposed to be a typical elk hunt became something far more unexpected for Swede Hasse Ekengren, when his dog Aqila chased a 120-kilo bear up a tree.
Hasse Ekengren joined a group of elk hunters in the forest outside Söderhamn in central Sweden, taking along his dog Aqila.
But the hunt turned into a rather scary adventure.
It had only been going on for about an hour when Aqila suddenly started barking. Thinking that the dog, who was about 400 metres away, had got wind of elk, Hasse Ekengren closely started to follow the noise.
After 45 minutes, he reached a big stone.
"I thought there were elk on the other side, so I slowly started to creep around the stone," Ekengren told The Local.
Instead, Aqila was looking up at a tree. And in the branches was a bear.
"It just sat there and looked down at me. From that distance, it almost looked like one of those teddy bears you win at amusement parks. But I would say it weighed about 120 kilos," explained Ekengren.
Hasse Ekengren managed to snap this picture of the bear. Photo: Hasse Ekengren
He said he didn't get immediately scared because he had seen "a lot of bears before" although he said he had never before seen one of the huge hairy animals climbing.
"I felt very safe when it was just sitting in the tree. It could have become so much worse if I had come there and it would have been on the ground."
When the bear tried to get down, the 48-year-old kicked the trunk twice, which made the animal climb back up again. He and Aqila then slowly walked away from the spot and made it home to safety.
The pair's story took place on Saturday and was spreading fast on social media in Sweden by Tuesday afternoon.
However Ekegren said he didn't think his experience was "that special".
"This will probably happen again," he said.
Hasse Ekengren with his life companian Aqila. Photo: Private
In the meantime Ekegren argued he has a lot to thank Aqila for, describing his pet as"very reliable" dog.
But he said he did not believe she was a hero.
"No. For me, she’s not a hero. She’s a life companion, a family member that always protects me."
Article by The Local's intern August Håkansson
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Hasse Ekengren joined a group of elk hunters in the forest outside Söderhamn in central Sweden, taking along his dog Aqila.
But the hunt turned into a rather scary adventure.
It had only been going on for about an hour when Aqila suddenly started barking. Thinking that the dog, who was about 400 metres away, had got wind of elk, Hasse Ekengren closely started to follow the noise.
After 45 minutes, he reached a big stone.
"I thought there were elk on the other side, so I slowly started to creep around the stone," Ekengren told The Local.
Instead, Aqila was looking up at a tree. And in the branches was a bear.
"It just sat there and looked down at me. From that distance, it almost looked like one of those teddy bears you win at amusement parks. But I would say it weighed about 120 kilos," explained Ekengren.
Hasse Ekengren managed to snap this picture of the bear. Photo: Hasse Ekengren
He said he didn't get immediately scared because he had seen "a lot of bears before" although he said he had never before seen one of the huge hairy animals climbing.
"I felt very safe when it was just sitting in the tree. It could have become so much worse if I had come there and it would have been on the ground."
When the bear tried to get down, the 48-year-old kicked the trunk twice, which made the animal climb back up again. He and Aqila then slowly walked away from the spot and made it home to safety.
The pair's story took place on Saturday and was spreading fast on social media in Sweden by Tuesday afternoon.
However Ekegren said he didn't think his experience was "that special".
"This will probably happen again," he said.
Hasse Ekengren with his life companian Aqila. Photo: Private
In the meantime Ekegren argued he has a lot to thank Aqila for, describing his pet as"very reliable" dog.
But he said he did not believe she was a hero.
"No. For me, she’s not a hero. She’s a life companion, a family member that always protects me."
Article by The Local's intern August Håkansson
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