The Aporia · Brave 12-year-old fought off angry black mama bear in his backyard: ‘It was fight or die’

Brave 12-year-old fought off angry black mama bear in his backyard: ‘It was fight or die’

Read the original at New York Post ↗

Cite

APA MLA Chicago

Morrison, E. (2026, September 25). Brave 12-year-old fought off angry black mama bear in his backyard: ‘It was fight or die’. New York Post. https://nypost.com/2026/09/24/us-news/brave-12-year-old-fought-off-angry-black-mama-bear-in-his-backyard-it-was-fight-or-die/

Dated when The Aporia collected the article, usually within hours of publication. Check the original for its exact date and byline.

Quick Summary

Robin Westgate, a 12-year-old boy from Washington state near the Canadian border, fought off an angry mother black bear in his backyard on Sunday night after surprising her while she was protecting her cub. The encounter left Robin with puncture wounds and bruises but uninjured seriously thanks to his quick thinking—he gouged the bear’s eye when it attacked him. His father Noah also joined in the confrontation by punching the bear, which eventually ran away. Wildlife officials have set a trap for the bear, which has since returned to the area, though it remains at large.

Written by AI on 2026-09-25, from this article's own text only (the story summary below draws on all the coverage).

AI analysis

Story summary

In Bellingham, Washington, a 12-year-old boy named Robin Westgate fought off an aggressive black bear in his backyard on Sunday night. The incident occurred when Robin encountered a mother bear that was protective of her cub while retrieving a bowl from the family's fruit orchard. Initially, the bear charged at him twice and inflicted puncture wounds on his hip. In a desperate act to save himself, Robin gouged the bear’s eye, causing it to shift its attack towards his father Noah who then intervened to protect his son.

Wildlife officials noted that such attacks are rare in Washington state, occurring less than once annually; however, urban development has led to more frequent encounters between humans and bears as bears prepare for winter hibernation. The family now plans to carry bear spray in their backyard as a precautionary measure.

Written for “Bear Attack In Backyard” on 2026-10-30, grounded in this article and the 0 other(s) covering the same event.

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Claims extracted

sentences that state something as happening or true

Uncertain

11%

2 of 19 hedged ("reportedly", "may", "according to")

Leaning

not political

takes no side on a contested political question

Publisher signals

66/100

New York Post's corrections and hedging, across everything collected from it. Not a measure of accuracy.

Outlets on this story

Environment

Same framing elsewhere

articles that frame the event the way this one does

Who wrote this

Ella Morrison

90 article(s) here · 1 carrying a prediction

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Also by Ella Morrison

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2026-10-30 · New York Post

William Shatner pays heartfelt tribute to fellow ‘Star Trek’ star Patrick Stewart after his death at 86

2026-10-29 · New York Post

Drone footage captures wild moment escaped prison inmate is caught by police: ‘We got him’

2026-10-28 · New York Post

Black bear shreds car to pieces after getting locked inside: ‘Fighting pretty good’

2026-10-28 · New York Post

Nothing else under this byline is closely related to this article, so these are simply their most recent.

All 90 articles by Ella Morrison →

Claims (19 extracted, 2 hedged)

A fearless Washington state boy fought off a monstrous mama black bearby gouging its eyes during a terrifying attack that left him battered and bruised. asserted

that → fight → him

Robin Westgate, 12, said while he was retrieving a bowl from his backyard fruit orchard Sunday night he unexpectedly came face to face with an enraged black bear protective of her cub, KING reported. asserted

KING → say → cub

The Bellingham youngster said he “and the bear startled each other” — before the beast charged at him twice and left puncture wounds on his hip. asserted

beast → say → hip

“It was fight or die,” Westgate told the outlet. asserted

Westgate → fight → outlet

“I didn’t really have an option. asserted

I → have → option

[The bear] bit onto my wrist, and I slammed my hand and thumb into her eye.” asserted

I → bite → eye

Black bears are common in Westgate’s neighborhood near the Canadian border so the tween had already been taught what to do if he ever encountered one in the flesh. asserted

he → teach → flesh

The mama bear charged once again but this time toward Westgate’s dad, Noah. asserted

bear → charge → dad

“Strange as it sounds, it was a feeling of relief to have her coming at me,” the protective father said, according to the publication. uncertain

father → sound → publication

Noah Westgate jumped into his self-described “code red” mode and protected his son the same way the bear was protecting her cub — by clobbering it. asserted

bear → jump → it

“She crunches into my hand right at the moment that I land the hardest punch of my life,” he recalled. asserted

he → crunch → life

The dad’s right hook scared it way, he said. asserted

he → scar → way

Although Robin Westgate said the encounter was a terrifying, “it doesn’t change anything about the overall danger from the bears.” “The only thing that changed is now I know I can trust myself,” the brave youngster said. asserted

youngster → say → myself

Things could have been much worse, the family said, if their daughter Riverley didn’t hear her brother’s cries for help. uncertain

daughter → say → help

“I’m just glad that I was outside and heard him and that the injuries weren’t worse,” Riverley said. asserted

Riverley → ’m → him

The mama bear has since returned to the area and state wildlife workers snapped a photo of the beast. asserted

workers → return → beast

A trap has been set but she remains at large. asserted

she → set → ?

For now, the Westgate family said they will carry bear spray in their backyard. Wildlife officials say bear attacks in Washington state are less than one per year. However, urban sprawl has prompted more bear encounters with humans — particularly this time of year as they fatten up before winter hibernation. asserted

they → say → hibernation

“I’m a proud papa that my 12-year-old son stood his ground against a black bear,” Noah Westgate said. asserted

Westgate → ’m → bear

Brave 12-year-old fought off angry black mama bear in his backyard: ‘It was fight or die’

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Claims (19 extracted, 2 hedged)