Susan Cenkus recently returned to the scene where her daughter was killed by a black bear on April 13, 2006.
She and her children came from Ohio back to the camping area near Benton Falls in the Chilhowee Campground to honor 6-year-old Elora Petrasek, who did not survive the attack.
As she stood under the waterfall last Wednesday, watching the icy waters tumble and flow, remembering her ever cheerful daughter and the joy they felt on that fatal day, Cenkus said her thoughts turned toward eternity.
“I have a real connection here. This was the place I would go to feel the presence of God. I had taken Elora here many times but I had never taken her to the waterfall — until that day.”
Images of Elora, the sound of her voice, the laughter of that day, was not hard to recall. Cenkus said she even remembers “Two weeks earlier Elora said, ‘mommie I may go to heaven before you.’”
Neither that comment nor the fact Elora was fascinated with animals stood out. Now everything about her has special meaning to her mother.
“Elora was a big animal lover,” said Cenkus. “Most little girls her age were buying Barbie dolls. Not my daughter. She was always buying stuffed animals. She would have veterinarian clinics and she would have all her animals lined up to take care of them. I learned so much from her. She had such a love for life.”
During her visited to the Sunrise Rotary Club Thursday, Cenkus spoke about the horrific day that went beyond sheer terror.
“That morning we decided we would go up to Chilhowee. My son Christopher was performing at a Lee University program that evening. We drove up to Benton Falls and Elora wanted to go to the waterfall. I wasn’t feeling really well that day,” Cenkus recalls.
“These are truly the last words I specifically remember Elora saying to me. She said, ‘But mommie I really want to go.’ So we traveled down to the falls.
“When we got to the falls another couple was there, a man and wife and their two children. As we were scanning down to the creek area I looked up in the foliage and saw a black bear.”
Cenkus said because she had walked that area many times and had never seen a bear, she sensed they needed to leave.
“I said to the couple I believe we need to get out of here. We immediately started to leave the area. As we were coming up I reached back and grabbed hold of my son Luke, who was only 2 years old.”
Elora was already ahead of everyone and had gotten back under the waterfall, according to Cenkus.
“I remember looking at her and saying, ‘Come on we need to go.’ I turned around to reach for her hand and we started going up toward the camp.”
Cenkus said as soon as she turned back around the black bear had her son.
“He had his right paw going around my son’s head. I immediately ran toward the bear. I pulled my son from him. When I pulled Luke from the bear, I then looked at the bear. I realized he was staring at me.”
That chilling moment, nearly frozen in time, seemed surreal as a mother stood between a bear and his food, daring to put her life on the line without any hesitation. Cenkus explained that in such an unbelievable moment, “people do what needs to be done.”
“I remembered thinking, OK what do we do here? Because that bear was staring at me and I knew he was intent on hurting me. The group had come up and around as I went back from the bear. Then the bear attacked me,” she said.
As the 211-pound bear bit down on her neck, Cenkus said she remembers looking in the family man’s face. It was the look of horror.
“That’s when I recognized the bear had me,” she said. “I thought, ‘I am not going to survive this but if the bear stays busy with me, the rest will survive.’”
Cenkus said she looked over to the man and yelled, “Save my children.”
“At that point I said to the Lord, ‘I’m ready to go. Please Lord, let me go out.’ At that point I did lose consciousness.”
Cenkus said she remembers waking up later on the ground thinking what a horrible nightmare she just had.
“Then I recognized it wasn’t a nightmare. Being a nurse I was trying to assess myself — trying to find out what my pulse was. I knew I had lost a lot of blood and needed to get out of there. But I didn’t know how bad I was. I found I was totally unable to do anything whatsoever.
“I wondered if I should call out for help or just be quiet because I knew help would come. I don’t know how much time elapsed. I had lost so much blood I was coming in and out of consciousness.”
At some point she heard a voice saying, “It’s OK, ma’am. We’re here to help you.”
It was Tennessee State Park Ranger Brad Hamby who was the first one to reach Cenkus. Her daughter was not as fortunate. Since the hike was nearly 2 miles, the speculation was that little Elora was the easiest target for the black bear to chase and catch.
Word of the unusual bear attack swept the nation until the bear was captured, positively identified by FBI Forensic DNA specialists and finally destroyed.
Cenkus was flown to Erlanger, thankful to have survived such a vicious attack. She spent nine days in intensive care and underwent seven surgeries before being made physically whole again.
“I lost two major blood vessels in the back of my neck. My vertebra was almost torn off. Tendons were severed. My arm was almost torn off. I had stitches all through the back of my head and surgery all around my neck.”
Cenkus said it was truly a miracle that she survived and is forever thankful that she and her son Luke, who also suffered injuries, had such excellent care from Erlanger’s medical team who worked on them.
“When I woke up the first thing I remember thinking is that I know who God is. My help is built on my relationship with Jesus Christ and I hold an amazing sense of hope,” said Cenkus.
She remembers feeling compelled to tell her daughter throughout her short life that if she could not protect her, the Lord will.
“We have the hope of glory,” Cenkus said. “Maybe not in this world but in the world to come. It doesn’t mean we won’t go through perilous times. Sometimes we go through amazing tragedy and trauma in this world. There are so many people who have gone through worse than I have.
“My struggle was trying to understand what happened to my daughter. Who was with my daughter? I knew in my mind that God was with her but I kept struggling with it. That was my struggle with God.
“Then God spoke to my heart and said, ‘You remember all the times you told Elora if I cannot be with you Jesus would be with you?
I said, ‘Yes, I remember that.’ He said, ‘Did you believe it?’ I said, ‘Yes I did.’ And in my spirit He said, ‘There’s your answer.’”
Cenkus said the anniversary of her daughter’s death on April 13, led her to look at a corresponding scripture in the Bible — John 4:13.
She started reading where Jesus told a woman at a well, “Whosoever drinketh of this water shall thirst again: But whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life.”
“As I stood under that waterfall (Wednesday) to honor my daughter, I could hear that beautiful water rushing over the mountains,” said Cenkus. “And I thought of the eternal life that is promised us.”
Monte Williams of the U.S. Forestry Service told media representatives the attack was unusual, adding, “Black bears usually don’t attack people.”
There are approximately 1,200 to 1,500 black bears in the Cherokee National Forest, according to officials.
If you DO come across a bear standing on his hind legs – that’s when he’s in attack mode – I’ve heard that you should crap a big load in your pants. Seriously. It supposedly drives them away. You DON’T want to attack with a small gun – it will only piss the bear off more.
Comment by Dien — April 22, 2009 @ 7:12 am
Comment by hill bill y — April 22, 2009 @ 7:12 am
Comment by William — April 22, 2009 @ 7:12 am
Comment by boker_magnum — April 22, 2009 @ 7:12 am
Comment by Aaron — April 22, 2009 @ 7:12 am
Comment by joshuagertsch — April 22, 2009 @ 7:12 am
Comment by fishslayer1986 — April 22, 2009 @ 7:12 am
This makes the bear think that you are not a threat to the bear. Good luck out there.
Comment by surfer dude — April 22, 2009 @ 7:12 am
Comment by dca2003311@yahoo.com — April 22, 2009 @ 7:12 am
First off carrying that bear spray is the best idea here. While carrying a second large caliber rifle is unpractical what about a handgun? Six shots from a a .44 mag into a 250 pound black bear’s chest will witout a doubt drop it. If can’t buy or access a heavy revolver than aim at his head with the 30-30. It will kill it. Black bear are not that big a .30 size round won’t penetrate it’s skull. But the bear spray is best cheapest most proven way to go.
Comment by kyle h — April 22, 2009 @ 7:12 am
Lot’s of hunters carry .44 Magnum revolvers as backup in bear country. The .44 Mag. is not better than a .30-30 carbine, so there you have it.
Good luck and happy hunting.
H
Comment by H — April 22, 2009 @ 7:12 am
Comment by Boris859 — April 22, 2009 @ 7:12 am
now, for your question:
people use the .30/30 win for black bear withing 100 yards, whether you will believe this is another matter. if i ever hunt where i know that there is a possibility that i will encounter dangerous animals like Kodiak bear i will be hunting with a buddy that has a gun or by myself with a revolver. don’t go for body shots, as bear can absorb bullets like nothing, but if you but two in its head, it will go down.
when I’m 21, i will be getting my concealed carry permit and a pistol, somewhere in the .38, .40, .357 or .45 ACP area. nothing smaller than a .38.
good luck hope you get the deer you want this year.
Comment by burnzwater — April 22, 2009 @ 7:12 am
Comment by bghoundawg — April 22, 2009 @ 7:12 am
shoot a bear in the same place you shoot deer, in the heart or head a 30-30 will do the job just fine. as for the 44 mag pistol its pretty marginal. here’s the ballistics. 30-30 150 or 170 grain =more than 1600 ft. lbs. energy .44 mag pistol 7 1/5 in barrel 240 grain bullet = 971 ft lbs energy. use the same bullets for black bear as you do for deer. they probably wont exit as they are made to expand & dump all their energy inside the animal so you wont ruin the hide with a big exit wound.
if your deer hunting in brown bear country a 338 would be a more appropriate deer rifle or at a minimum a 30-06 with controled expansion bullets, 180 gr. in the chamber for deer, 220 gr. in the magazine for back up. dont take a 30-30 into brown bear country they dont have enough penetration for grizzly.
Comment by crash — April 22, 2009 @ 7:12 am
We of course live in the land of Daniel Boone who happened to kill bears with a knife. If he can do it ,we sure can , Right?
Comment by dirtydan2 — April 22, 2009 @ 7:12 am
Comment by Big D — April 22, 2009 @ 7:12 am
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Comment by Mad Dog — April 22, 2009 @ 7:12 am
So I tried this, I yelled jibberish like I was at some pentecostal sunday meeting. This confused the bear and gave us both a chance to think about a different situation…”I think I’ll go over there, now.” He also said (and it makes sense to me) never to lay on the ground. Bears are omnivores and do eat carrion. I won’t sit still and die without giving the bear “what-for” !
I would honor the bear but if it came down between us and I had my .45 I would aim for the eye. The eyes are also good for other situations. Most battles will end with a gouged out eye.