Phnom Penh - Two Cambodian men searching for firewood were attacked by an angry mother bear apparently protecting her cubs, local media reported on Monday.

Koh Santepheap newspaper said Yav Their, 39, and Chieng Vuth, 35, were walking in rugged, remote terrain in Kampot province, about 200 kilometres south-west of the capital, when the bear charged.

Both men received severe lacerations to their heads and torsos from the bear's claws before dropping to the ground and playing dead, at which point the animal ambled away, the paper quoted local authorities as saying.

The paper said the attack happened last Thursday but the pair was forced to walk a considerable distance for help. They were recovering well in hospital, it said.
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