Joe Pendry used his experience as a boxer to fight for his life when a mother grizzly attacked him, grabbed him by the head and inflicted horrific injuries while he was hunting elk in British Columbia's East Kootenay region this month. 

His wife, Janice Pendry, has described how her 63-year-old husband survived the attack that took place near Fort Steele on Oct. 2 when he was hunting elk and encountered the bear, which had two cubs.

Pendry says her husband shot the charging bear in the leg but it kept coming. 

She says he punched and even bit the animal's ear as he fought for his life, suffering gruesome injuries that include his lips and part of his scalp being torn off, losing a finger and suffering many broken bones. 

Pendry says her husband repeatedly punched the bear in the nose, drawing on his boxing skills, but the animal intensified its assault.

He was eventually able to fend the animal off and call 911 and his son for help, and he was flown to Kelowna General Hospital, where he's undergone multiple surgeries to his face and other parts of the body. 

The BC Conservation Officer Service says a dead grizzly found in the area days later was responsible for the attack, and Janice Pendry says she was told it died of sepsis. 

Pendry says her husband's experiences, both as a boxer and outdoor hunting guide allowed him to beat the odds, but he faces a long recovery and he's experiencing symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder.

She says her husband "still dreams about the bear," and may never be able to return to work as a foreman with a highway maintenance company. 

– Wolfgang Depner, The Canadian Press