Most 12-year-olds will never have to make a life-or-death decision in their own backyard.

Robin Westgate did.

The Washington boy had just finished dinner with his family when he walked into the backyard fruit orchard to retrieve a popcorn bowl.

Then he came face-to-face with a mother black bear and her cub.

The bear charged.

Robin did not freeze. He did not surrender.

He fought back with everything he had.

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“It was fight or die. I didn’t really have an option,” he later said.

The story sounds almost impossible until you hear the Westgate family calmly walk through each terrifying moment.

The bear charged Robin twice. It clawed his side, left puncture wounds near his hip and bit his wrist.

Robin drove his hand toward the animal’s face, pressed his thumb into its eye, punched and screamed.

He had been taught what to do around black bears, and under unimaginable pressure, the lesson held.

His younger sister, Riverley, heard the screams and ran to get their father.

Noah Westgate rushed outside and saw the bear attacking his son.

The animal turned and charged him.

Noah later described feeling an unexpected flash of relief because the bear’s attention had shifted away from Robin.

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He went into what he called “code red” and threw the hardest punch of his life just as the bear bit down on his hand.

That blow finally sent the animal running.

KING’s local report, carried by KPTV, reconstructs the attack from interviews with Robin, Noah and Riverley Westgate. Robin had gone into the orchard after dinner to collect the bowl when he and the bear startled each other.

The animal charged twice, clawed his side, punctured his hip and bit his wrist. Robin answered by gouging the bear’s eye, punching and screaming until help arrived.

Riverley’s quick decision to summon their father brought Noah outside, where he drew the bear away from his son and was bitten while landing a powerful punch.

Both father and son received treatment at a local hospital. The family later learned that the bear had returned to the property, while wildlife officers placed a trap in an effort to catch it.

Every member of that family did something right.

Robin remembered his training and refused to stop fighting.

Riverley heard trouble and immediately got help.

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Noah ran toward the danger to protect his son.

That chain of decisions may be the reason this story ended with a proud father and a remarkably composed boy speaking to reporters instead of a grieving family planning a funeral.

The Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife confirmed that its officers received a report at approximately 11:30 a.m. on September 14 concerning a human-black bear encounter that had happened the previous evening at a home outside Bellingham in Whatcom County.

The agency said an adult man and a minor child sustained injuries and were treated at a local hospital. Officers began attempting to trap the animal and increased patrols in the surrounding area.

Wildlife officials also warned that black bears preparing for winter can be drawn to unsecured attractants around homes.

Those attractions include garbage, pet or livestock food, bird feeders, barbecue grills and orchards. Residents were urged to secure them and avoid accidentally surprising bears.

The official safety guidance also validates the instinct that helped save Robin.

WDFW’s black-bear guidance tells people to remain calm and move away quietly if a bear appears unaware of them. If the animal approaches, people should identify themselves as human, stand tall, wave their arms, speak in a low voice and prepare bear spray if they have it.

The agency specifically warns people not to run because black bears can reach roughly 35 miles per hour and a fleeing person may trigger a chase.

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If a black bear keeps advancing, WDFW advises yelling, clapping and making yourself look intimidating.

Once an attack involves actual physical contact, the instruction changes. Fight back aggressively with hands, feet or any available object, aim for the eyes and use bear spray if possible.

That last point is critical.

Robin’s words describe what worked in his black-bear attack. Wildlife guidance varies by species and by the animal’s behavior.

In the exact circumstances he faced, the state’s instruction is clear: when a black bear makes contact, fight back.

Robin did exactly that.

The bear reportedly returned to the area after the attack. Wildlife personnel photographed it and set a trap, though it had not been caught when the family’s interview aired.

The Westgates say they will now keep bear spray close at hand—even in their own backyard.

Yet the attack did not leave Robin speaking like someone consumed by fear.

He said it taught him something about himself.

He knows he can trust his own judgment when everything goes wrong.

Noah said he was proud that his son stood his ground against a black bear.

He should be.

Courage is often described as having no fear.

Robin’s story shows something truer.

Courage is being terrified, recognizing that no easy escape exists, and still doing the next necessary thing.

A 12-year-old boy did that in a backyard orchard.

Then his sister and father did it too.

This is a Guest Post from our friends over at WLTReport. View the original article here.

 

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