A Montana man who was mauled by a grizzly bear that bit off the front of his lower jaw is ready to return home after five weeks in a Utah hospital.
Rudy Noorlander was attacked by a grizzly bear on Sept. 8 south of Big Sky after joining two people to look for a deer they had shot and wounded. The bear came upon him so quickly, he did not have time to deploy bear spray and his gun misfired, according to reports at the time.
During a news conference, Noorlander’s daughter spoke on his behalf, saying he's looking forward to reuniting with his yorkshire terrier sully, returning to the outdoors, being able to attend the rivalry football game next month between the Montana Grizzlies and his beloved Montana State Bobcats, and enjoy his favorite sweet treat.
“I'd like to open up this press conference with a huge thank you. Thank you for all of the support—all of the love, all of the prayers, the kindness shown by friends and strangers alike has been overwhelming,” said Katelynn Noorlander Davis. “I truly feel blessed to be surrounded by such amazing people. I also want to say that that first root beer float is going to taste so amazing.”
