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Swedish man's roar scares off charging bear

"I screamed as much as I could and made myself very big," Ralph Persson said.

By Ben Hooper
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JAMTLAND, Sweden, May 18 (UPI) -- A Swedish man out training his new hunting dog was caught on camera warding off a charging bear with a scream emulating a ferocious roar.

Ralph Persson of Jamtland said his dog's bark indicated there was danger nearby during a training session with the hunter and his wife, Lena, and the couple soon saw a large Scandinavian brown bear run out of the woods.

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The bear ran straight toward Persson, who responded by trying to intimidate the predator.

"I screamed as much as I could and made myself very big," Persson told the Hela Halsingland newspaper.

The bear, apparently startled by Persson's actions, turned and ran back into the woods.

The encounter was caught on video by Persson and from a distance by Lena Persson.

Ralph Persson, who said he does not trust the "lie down and play dead" defense, said he learned how to scare bears by watching birds.

"I have seen in the past how even cranes have chased bears by folding up their wings," he said.

Persson said he takes responsibility for getting too close to one of the notoriously reclusive bears.

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"This time, I went over the limit. You have to have respect for the animals," he said.

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