Beer, bears, and barbecued meat are all things we love about cottaging, but at no point should the three be combined. An inebriated Alaskan man recently learned this the hard way when a bear nearly killed him after he tried to feed it some of his barbecue.
Jesus Mabalot, a 38-year-old man in Anchorage, Alaska, had one too many drinks at a church picnic near Eklutna Lake Campground. And like any sensible church-picnic attendee, Mabalot decided to sober up with some barbecue and a bike ride.
While biking, Mabalot encountered a black bear, and for reasons that might have something to do with his inebriated state, he thought it would be a good idea to share his barbecue with the animal.
Beth Ipsen, spokeswoman for the Alaska State Troopers, told the Anchorage Daily News that Mabalot stopped his bike in the bear’s path and threw “some sort of meat on a stick” at it. “The bear ate it,” Ipsen said. “He threw another one at the bear, the bear ate it. And that’s when the bear attacked him.”
Later that afternoon Mabalot was found washing blood from his injuries in a nearby river. Doctors treated him for injuries at Alaska Regional Hospital, and authorities handed him a $310 fine for feeding wild game, which is illegal in Alaska.