BEAR INJURES MAN IN PEN AT SAN DIEGO ZOO.

Byline: Associated Press 

A 28-year-old man was mauled Friday after he jumped into an enclosure that houses two Manchurian brown bears at the San Diego Zoo.

Matthew Settles of San Diego underwent surgery at Mercy Hospital to close a gash in his groin, said spokeswoman Kathy Maroni. He was listed in serious but stable condition.

``The injury was potentially life-threatening, but he came out fine,'' Maroni said. ``Had the claw been one inch either way, it could have been different.''

Settles also sustained scratches on his stomach and back in the 1 p.m. incident. He was alert and talking when he arrived at the trauma unit, Maroni said.

Zoo authorities found Settles sitting in the small pool in the enclosure, with the two bears showing interest and approaching him. Settles was attacked by the female bear.

Zoo keepers turned high pressure hoses on the bears to push them toward opened bedroom doors, and further frightened them with fire extinguisher blasts. The bears were locked into their bedrooms.

Security officers calmed the man until paramedics arrived. Settles was taken to the hospital at about 1:40 p.m., and Bear & Cat Canyon were reopened five minutes later.

The Manchurian brown bear is one of the larger of the Asian bear species, found primarily in China. It is not aggressive by nature but will respond to territorial threats. It prefers a diet of roots and bulbs.