Mom, 24, who was nearly mauled to death by an eight-foot grizzly bear narrowly survives thanks to her HAIR CLIP

A mom who was nearly mauled to death by an eight-foot grizzly bear while jogging narrowly survived thanks to her hair clip.

Vanessa Chaput, 24, was around halfway through her run on the Trans Canada Trail in the Yukon on June 30 with her German Shepherd Nina when she stumbled on a group of four bears.

She immediately attempted to back away without being seen - but, to her horror, her dog began chasing the three female grizzly bears.

Threatened, the eight-foot male bear then began charging towards the terrified family support worker.

Vanessa Chaput, 24, was running with her dog Nina when she encountered a group of four grizzly bears on the Trans Canada Trail

Before she could get away, the male grizzly bear of the group charged her, causing extensive injuries to her back and body, including a broken arm

In mere moments, it was suddenly mauling her back with its claws and bit her forearm so hard that it broke the bone. 

Determined to stay alive for her two-year-old daughter and husband Dave Leegstra, Vanessa tried to play dead, lying still and silent as the grizzly continued to dig its claws into her back.

The bear only halted its attack when chomping on Vanessa's hair clip, which shattered and hurt its mouth - causing it to momentarily release her head from its jaws.

The grizzly was then further distracted from its onslaught when Nina began barking from afar.

This gave Vanessa just enough time to get away from the bear, and walk out of the woods and onto the highway where she rang her husband for help.

Vanessa was rushed to hospital after suffering extensive injuries from the attack, including her broken right arm and puncture wounds across her body.

'Where I was running, it was pretty overgrown in one area and as I was running, I came across a group of bears within 15 feet of me', she recalled.

'You can run into bears in Yukon, but I've never run into four bears like this before. It was nerve-wracking.

Vanessa claimed she was able to escape after the bear became distracted when her claw-style hair clip snapped inside of its mouth

It is estimated that there are between 6,000 and 7,000 grizzly bears, also known as North American brown bears, in the Yukon (stock image)

'The first thing I remember thinking was I need to get out there and put space between us.

'I was trying to back away when I spotted them, but my dog Nina saw them and started chasing the female bears.

'The male bear then started charging towards me and I was trying to walk away and put a tree or something between us. But just before I got to the tree, his mouth went straight onto my head and I went down onto the ground.'

Vanessa said the attack with the eight-foot bear lasted a few minutes before she was able to scramble to safety thanks to an unexpected savior in the form of her hair accessory.

'I knew I wasn't ready to leave my daughter and husband and knew I had to fight for them,' she explained.

'I just remember the bear biting my arm and I could just feel its claws digging into my back,' she continued.

'I was trying to get through it without screaming. I wasn't screaming while it was attacking me.

'He bit onto my head and I had a hair clip and it broke in its mouth and I don't think he liked that so he let go of my head then ran across the path but then he stopped, turned around and started charging towards me again.

'He then took off towards where my dog was barking so her barking actually saved my life.

'It gave me a minute to just walk from where I was onto the highway where I was able to call my husband then I called 911. My dog spotted me and ran towards me.'

From there, Vanessa was able to crawl out of the woods and get to the highway, where she called her husband, and eventually made it to the hospital

In total, she received more than 30 stitches for her bite wounds on her upper arm and head and was treated for a broken arm, puncture wounds and claw marks all over her back

'I feel very thankful. I don't feel mad at the grizzly bear or my dog. Bears are everywhere in the Yukon - you can't avoid them,' Vanessa said about her gratitude for having survived the attack

Vanessa was rushed to hospital where she received more than 30 stitches for her bite wounds on her upper arm and head before being treated for a broken arm, puncture wounds and claw marks all over her back.

After ten days in hospital, the mom was able to return home - and feels extremely lucky to be alive after her near brush with death. 

'I feel very thankful. I don't feel mad at the grizzly bear or my dog. Bears are everywhere in the Yukon - you can't avoid them,' she emphasized.

'I have a good understanding of bears and what they do which I think is a big reason why I survived. I didn't scream or run because that can trigger a more aggressive attack.

'It was a more territorial attack because there was a sow with him who was ovulating and [bears] can be very aggressive during mating season. He was already amped up. It was just a bad mixture. I was in the wrong place at the wrong time.

'We've had bears in our backyard before but this is the first time I've encountered them this closely. I feel very thankful to be alive. It's very rare for someone to actually survive a grizzly attack. I hope my story can help save someone's life one day,' she added.

'Don't run, walk and definitely don't scream because it will trigger an attack and don't make eye contact.'

It is estimated that there are between 6,000 and 7,000 grizzly bears, also known as North American brown bears, in the Yukon, a sparsely populated territory in the northwest part of Canada that spans nearly 190,000 square miles.

For comparison, the human population of the Yukon is around 45,000. 

Vanessa's friend has launched a fundraising page to help her while she recovers from her injuries.