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He told doctors a large predator had overpowered him. “The bear preserved me as food for later,” he explained. He drank his own urine to survive, he said. Medics say it is a “miracle” that he is alive. A group of Russian hunters found Alexander after their dogs barked and refused to move on from a bear den they passed in the forest in mountainous Tuva, say reports.

Brown bears to be introduced to Gloucestershire woodlands next year

Alexander was described as having severe injuries and rotting tissue'

The region is favoured by Vladimir Putin for vacations. The hunters checked inside the lair and saw what they believed was a human mummy – until they released he was alive.

“The man remembers his first name but not his age and was reportedly in the den for around one month - drinking urine to survive,” reported The Siberian Times.

A hospital video shows the bearded man opening his blue eyes and confirming his first name.



He was described as having “severe injuries and rotting tissue” from lying motionless for so long in the den.