Man being savaged by polar bear escapes after dazzling it with MOBILE PHONE Garett Kolsun, 40, was walking home from after-work drinks at 1.30am when the animal charged The Border Services guard from Winnipeg did not know Churchill, Canada, was the polar bear capital of the world He could not run fast enough so grabbed his phone from his pocket The 28-stone bear had already bitten his hip and scratched his chest Where would we be without mobile phones? Garett Kolsun might not be here at all. The 40-year-old Canadian Borders Services guard owes his life to his cell after he used it as a last ditch attempt to scare of a raging polar bear. Lucky escape: Garret Kolsun, 40, was trapped in a door way by a raging bear biting and scratching him New to Churchill in Hudson Bay, Manitoba, Mr Kolsun was not aware of its sizable polar bear population. Known as 'the polar bear capital of the world', it has numerous sanctuaries - and even a prison for the arctic creatures. On his way home from after-work drinks last Friday, Mr Kolsun, from Winnipeg, would be made well aware. As he made his way through the main town in the early hours of Saturday morning, a 28-stone animal appeared out of nowhere. Hearing a muffled noise, the worker looked over his shoulder to see the creature charging towards him. Screaming, running, and shielding his face, Mr Kolsun was not quick enough. The bear sunk its teeth into his hip, wildly hitting and scratching. In a desperate bid to get away, he flashed the screen of his mobile phone. It gave him a second to run In the tussle, he managed to break free and run for a nearby bakery. But the door was locked. The predator caught up and pinned him against the door. With a similar IQ to apes, polar bears are ranked as some of the planet's most intelligent creatures. Their hunting techniques are calculated and fast. They can grow up to 71 stone - and even before they are fully grown, most can run up to a speed of 45kmph. Polar bear hunting in Canada became a popularised sport in the mid-1980s. Despite the common misconception, polar bears are not left-pawed. A terrified Mr Kolsun instinctively reached for the only thing he had: his phone. 'At that point the bear was basically right on top of me,' he explained to CTV News. 'The bear's nose was inches away from me. I didn't know where else to go. I didn't want to be a stat. I was yelling and screaming, trying to keep it away from me. Throughout all this it had swatted at me a few times and it had bit me. So I pulled my cellphone out of my pocket, turned it on and the screen lit up. I turned it towards the bear, put it in his face. It was a move that would save his life. One look at the screen baffled the animal, which stumbled and hit a plant pot. When it stepped back, luckily it knocked over a planter. It startled the bear and it turned its head. So when it did, I just ran. He scarpered towards a group of people sitting on a deck. But, turning around, the bear was nowhere to be seen. Exhausted, he got a taxi to the health centre, where staff treated two bite wounds on his leg and hip. He is now in a stable condition, and ecstatic to be alive. 'I'm just a lucky guy who got away from a bear,' he said. It pawed at me. It ripped my shirt a few times. I have scratches on my chest, some going down and a couple going sideways. 'When you're in Churchill, take a cab. Or drive. Don't walk after dark.' Manitoba Conservation caught the bear on Saturday. It is now being assessed. According to a government spokesman, bears are known to be more active in the months before the ice freezes. People are advised to avoid walking alone or going out after dark.