CODY, Wyo. — Two college students are recovering after they were attacked by a grizzly bear in Shoshone National Forest.
The two men were antler hunting when they were attacked on Oct. 15, the Wyoming Game and Fish Department said in a news release.
The two men, Brady Lowry and Kendell Cummings, are members of the Northwest College wrestling team, and had split off from two of their other teammates who had joined them on the trail, Lowry told KSL-TV. Lowry said he noticed evidence of bears right before the attack.
“I looked at Kenny and said, ‘There is a grizzly bear here,’” Lowry told KSL-TV. “And right after I said that the bear came out of the willows. It was thick. It came at me and charged me and tackled me off this cliff into this gulley and was going at me for a little bit.”
Lowry told KSL-TV that when he got down to the ground and curled up in a ball, Cummings jumped into action, yelling at the bear and trying to distract it. Cummings went so far as to kick the bear and pull its hair, prompting it to chase him.
“It tackled me, chewed me up a bit, and then when it was done, it wandered off, and I started calling out for Brady to make sure he was alright,” Cummings told KSL-TV.
The two were able to call 911 and made it to the trailhead with the rest of their group, as well as a hunter and local resident, officials said in the news release. At the trailhead, the two met search and rescue officials and were taken to hospitals.
The president of Northwest College, Lisa Watson, said in an email to students and staff, “I am so grateful for those who assisted these brave young men in the aftermath of this terrifying ordeal and that no lives were lost,” USA Today reported.
Officials described the incident as a “sudden, surprise encounter with a grizzly bear,” and noted that there has been an abundance of bear activity at low elevations in Shoshone National Forest.
“In the vicinity where the attack occurred, reports from landowners and hunters indicate there may be six to 10 different bears moving between agricultural fields and low elevation slopes,” Dan Smith, Cody Region wildlife supervisor, said in a statement. “Game and Fish will continue to monitor bear activity in the area and work with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to make management decisions in the best interest of public safety.”
Lowry credits his teammates with saving his life.
“I’m just glad we have each other still; glad all four of us walk off that mountain,” Lowry told KSL-TV. “I don’t think anyone lesser than a wrestling team with a bond like we have — they wouldn’t have handled it as well as we did.”
Coming up at 5 on @KSL5TV: A wrestler from Utah attacked by a grizzly bear in Wyoming, he and his teammate who was also attacked spoke exclusively with me from their hospital in Montana. The young men say they’re alive today because of their teammates. #ksltv pic.twitter.com/CDGLgIbs9h
— Shara Park ✨ (@KSLSharaPark) October 17, 2022
Lowry told KSL-TV that all four men were carrying bear spray, but the attack happened so quickly that they did not have time to grab it.
The college told USA Today that both Lowry and Cummings are expected to make a full recovery.
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