Siberian Horse Breeder Sergei Rumyantsev Kills Bear Armed Only with Knife

A Siberian horse breeder survived a bear attack by stabbing the animal in the heart with a small knife, with the help of his loyal dog.

Sergei Rumyantsev, 55, was feeding his horses in a remote area some 30 miles from his village, Eselyakh, in the eastern Siberian Sakha Republic, when he was suddenly attacked by a male bear.

"The bear came out of nowhere," Rumyantsev told Russian Public Television from a hospital bed.

"It attacked me suddenly, unexpectedly. I had a rifle with me in a saddle, but I did not have time to get it. All I had to hand was a knife'.

Rumyantsev's knife was only 13cm (five inches) long, but he remained calm and started stabbing the bear repeatedly as it attempted to savage his head.

"We fought and fought, I stabbed him with the knife again and again, but he didn't give up. He almost overwhelmed me. I thought - it was over," Rumyantsev said.

Then, Rumyantsev's hunting dog Laika came to his rescue, giving his owner a chance to strike a fatal blow to the bear's heart.

"The bear was distracted by a bite from the dog, and at that moment he was able to take out his knife and strike the bear in the heart," the man's nephew Leonid Rumyantsev told The Independent.

With wounds to his face and scalp, Rumyantsev managed to mount one of his horses and ride back to his village, although he has no memory of the journey.

"I don't remember how I managed to get home, how I entered the gate," he said.

He was taken to a hospital in the small city of Borogontsy, where he is recovering. Doctors said his condition is not life threatening.

Asked if he was scared during the attack Rumyantsev replied: "Of course I was. Try to meet a bear, and we'll see how you do."