Erivaldo Moriman, a middle-aged man, is being lauded for valiantly defending his teenage nephews from a jaguar with his own hands. This brave gesture took place on August 13th, on a camping trip in Salt do Augusto, Brazil.
Moriman was coming from a morning walk along the Juruena River when he noticed a jaguar attacking his nephews at the campsite. He attempted to distract the jaguar but was attacked himself.
Moriman heroically attempted to repel the jaguar by gripping its leg, but the jaguar returned by biting his head, causing severe wounds and major bleeding. He described the horrifying moment when the jaguar released his nephews and switched its attention to him.
Moriman claimed he heroically held to the jaguar’s leg behind a tree trunk, but his attempt to flee resulted in another attack and a nasty bite to his head. He was in agonizing pain as he had to take a two-hour boat excursion to the airport of a private lodge for medical treatment.

Fortunately, Moriman received early medical attention from a doctor at the lodge following his encounter with the jaguar. He was subsequently transported for three hours to Albert Sabin Regional Hospital in Alta Floresta for additional treatment. According to the New York Post, his horrific head injuries required 150 stitches at the hospital.
Moriman, who was released from the hospital the next day, characterized his encounter with a jaguar as a difficult and weird ordeal that few would believe.
Moriman is fortunate to have survived his brush with the jaguar because jaguars have the most powerful bite of any large cat, according to the World Wildlife Fund in the United Kingdom.
They require this strength in their teeth and jaws to pursue prey three to four times their own weight. In contrast to other big cats, jaguars often kill their prey by biting the back of the skull, rather than the neck or throat.