A fire chief who was savagely mauled by an eight-foot grizzly bear in Alaska has told how he had to claw debris out of his throat to survive.
Wes Perkins, 65, who lost his teeth, tongue and jaw during the 2011 attack, said he and two friends were driving around a hill while tracking the ‘nice size bear’.
But suddenly the beast rushed out of a hole and charged him, tearing the bottom half of his face off before being shot dead by his friend and his son.
Perkins, a former fire chief for the city of Nome in Alaska, told Newsweek that he managed to stay alert during the near deadly attack.
‘I basically kept my airway open and had to dig the debris out of my airway, when I lost my tongue, jaw and all but a few teeth,’ Mr Perkins said.
‘So telling myself to function and never close my eyes or go unconscious was the main concentration.’
After the attack, Perkins had titanium plates inserted in both cheeks and a titanium rib around the jawbone during the facial reconstruction process
![Wes Perkins, 65, from Nome, Alaska, was out on a hunting trip with his friend Dan Stang, and Dan Stang's son, Edward Stang, in 2011 lost his teeth, tongue and jaw in vicious attack](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2023/01/23/18/66877573-11667293-Wes_Perkins_65_from_Nome_Alaska_was_out_on_a_hunting_trip_with_h-a-22_1674499326975.jpg)
Wes Perkins, 65, from Nome, Alaska, was out on a hunting trip with his friend Dan Stang, and Dan Stang’s son, Edward Stang, in 2011 lost his teeth, tongue and jaw in vicious attack
![Wes Perkins pictured in a photo before the grizzly attack that nearly took his life. The photo was taken sometime before 2011](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2023/01/23/18/66878815-11667293-image-a-23_1674499811904.jpg)
Wes Perkins pictured in a photo before the grizzly attack that nearly took his life. The photo was taken sometime before 2011
The horrific attack took place in the Alaskan wilderness in 2011. Filmmaker and YouTuber Dannie Rose released a short film about Perkins’ experience.
In the video Perkins, who became severely disfigured from the attack, said: ‘We were out bear hunting. We saw some bears earlier in the day.’
Perkins said the weather was bad – snowing a bit and slightly overcast. He said they saw a bear in the distance up on the hill.
‘We went up and towards it and it disappeared. Eventually we went around the hill and found the tracks and we were tracking the bear down,’ he said.
He added: ‘It was a few miles off ahead of us so we are driving along the stretch following his tracks and then the the bear disappeared.
‘Ed was ahead of me and I was right behind him. I stopped not realizing the bear was was only 70 feet away in a hole.’
But suddenly the grizzly came charging towards Perkins.
‘I turned and saw the bear, full charge,’ Perkins told Anchorage Daily News in a previous interview.
‘I only had time to say, ‘Oh s***!’ But I got [my] gun [halfway] off my back… When I turned around, the bear was that close. I had no time to do anything.’
![Perkins dedicates a lot of his time to helping other victims of mauling incidents through their recovery](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2023/01/23/17/66877563-11666837-image-a-8_1674493815877.jpg)
Perkins dedicates a lot of his time to helping other victims of mauling incidents through their recovery
![Perkins was savaged by the bear in what has been described as one of the most horrific attacks on record, leaving his face severely disfigured](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2023/01/23/17/66877565-11666837-image-a-4_1674493779001.jpg)
Perkins was savaged by the bear in what has been described as one of the most horrific attacks on record, leaving his face severely disfigured
Perkins, who was nearly mauled to death by the grizzly’s razor-like teeth miraculously survived the brutal attack, and said in the video he ‘remembers everything’.
He said: ‘I never lost consciousness. I had to open my airways because I had a bunch of mud here – my face was all tore up – lost my teeth, my tongue, my jaw. And so I just stayed focused.
‘I knew I could hear so I could talk to Ed and Dan who were with me.’
Dan Stang said the bear had been hiding in the willows. He said he started driving away and when he looked back the bear was on top of Wesley.
‘I look back and the bear’s on top of [Perkins]’, Dan Stang said in the video. He said he immediately grabbed his gun and started shooting at the animal.
The bear then spun around several times before he started to charge at him. That is when Stang’s son began to fire shots, eventually killing the beast.
‘I probably saved Wes’ life and my son saved my life from the whole ordeal,’ the elder Stang said.
He said when he rolled Perkins over he saw ‘his whole face rolled right off.’
![Dan Stang said the bear had been hiding in the willows. He said he started driving away and when he looked back the bear was on top of Wesley](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2023/01/23/19/66878389-11667293-image-a-26_1674501442877.jpg)
Dan Stang said the bear had been hiding in the willows. He said he started driving away and when he looked back the bear was on top of Wesley
![Stock image of a grizzly or brown bear (pictured). Perkins and his group saw a grizzly bear in the distance and started to track it before it disappeared quickly out of sight](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2023/01/23/19/66877919-11667293-Pictured_Grizzly_or_brown_bear_file_photo_Perkins_and_his_group_-m-24_1674501190682.jpg)
Stock image of a grizzly or brown bear (pictured). Perkins and his group saw a grizzly bear in the distance and started to track it before it disappeared quickly out of sight
He said he called on his radio transmission calling for anyone to help, and Perkins’ brother answered.
‘There was a bear mauling. Wesley was all torn up.’ He then told him exactly where in the wilderness they were located.
‘There was very little blood. Wesley was conscious,’ he said. ‘[I told him] Wesley you need to stay real still just keep your face in the snow.’
Perkins said the snow helped ‘numb what was left [of his face]’.
‘I was getting wet from the snow and starting to get cold,’ Perkins, who waited in for nearly an hour before help arrived, said.
He added: ‘As I stayed there I knew I was getting hypothermic a little bit. When the helicopter arrived Perkins said he was able to walk to it with help.
‘I was lucky enough and able to walk, with their help, into the helicopter.’
Perkins was taken to a hospital in Nome before being transported to Harborview Medical Center in Seattle.
‘I had no airway unless I kept my head tilted to the side just right,’ Perkins said. The bear had also caused huge damage to one of Perkins’ eyes.
Perkins spent the next four months in hospital, undergoing numerous operations.
He had titanium plates inserted in both cheeks and a titanium rib around the jawbone during the facial reconstruction process.
![Perkins and his wife Terri pictured this month](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2023/01/23/19/66878821-11667293-image-m-31_1674501810914.jpg)
Perkins and his wife Terri pictured this month
![Perkins pictured here with his daughter Darcee Perkins, who told Newsweek: 'Not any person would have survived this or continue to today¿I couldn't have. His will to survive and keep going, stay positive'](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2023/01/23/19/66878819-11667293-image-m-28_1674501556064.jpg)
Perkins pictured here with his daughter Darcee Perkins, who told Newsweek: ‘Not any person would have survived this or continue to today—I couldn’t have. His will to survive and keep going, stay positive’
He also had a fibula bone graft, where they took his left fibula from the lower leg and made a jaw from it.
Perkins said: ‘I was fortunate enough to have a great surgical team.’
For several months, Perkins could not speak and was only able to communicate by writing.
Doctors told him he may never be able to eat or drink via his mouth again. And, he became addicted to painkillers, having taken morphine, and opiates during the recovery.
Darcee Perkins, Perkins’ daughter, told Newsweek: ‘Not any person would have survived this or continue to today—I couldn’t have. His will to survive and keep going, stay positive.’
Over ten years later, Perkins’ face has healed, though the scarring remains, and he is able to live a happy life.
He still explores the wilderness, hunting moose and bears as he used to.
Perkins said: ‘[I] do most everything I used to do but since I cannot close my mouth, I cannot swim and it’s hard to run or jog, as my jaw bounces because I lost so much muscle in my jaw… but hell, those are small things in life. I do everything else.’
He dedicates a lot of his time to helping other victims of mauling incidents through their recovery.
Perkins said: ‘I do what I can to pay it forward, and have always had a positive attitude.’
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