A grizzly bear mauled a college wrestler, then attacked his teammate when he tried to pull the animal off, multiple news outlets reported in Wyoming.
Kendell Cummings and Brady Lowry, both sophomores at Northwest College in Powell, were hunting for antlers with two other wrestling teammates when they were attacked by a bear near Cody on Saturday, Oct. 15, KSL reported.
The group was heading back to their vehicle at the Bobcat-Houlihan Trailhead in the Shoshone National Forest when Cummings and Lowry separated to look for more antlers, the Wyoming Game and Fish Department said in a news release.
The bear first attacked Lowry, so Cummings tried to get the bear away from his friend by pulling its fur, yelling and throwing things at it, Deseret News reported.
“I didn’t want to lose my friend,” Cummings told the news outlet. “It was bad. There was big ol’ bear on top of him. I could have run and potentially lost a friend, or get him off and save him.”
Cummings got the bear’s attention and it charged at him, attacking him twice, the Cowboy State Daily reported.
“I called out to Brady to make sure he was alright and I think the bear heard me,” Cummings told the outlet. “It kind of circled around and got me again.”
Cummings and Lowry were not able to use the bear spray they had because of the sudden attack, Northwest College President Lisa Watson said in an email.
The group then called for help and made their way back to the trailhead, the wildlife agency said.
One of the wrestlers was taken to a local hospital in an ambulance, and another was flown to the hospital in a helicopter, officials said.
Lowry broke his arm and had cuts on his back, shoulders, leg and thigh, the Cowboy State Daily reported.
Cummings had to get 60 staples on his head, plastic surgery for major lacerations on his face, arm and leg, the outlet reported
“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,” Watson said in a statement. “It took quick thinking and no small amount of bravery for this to have ended without tragedy ... May their recovery be swift and their spirits remain strong.”
Landowners and hunters have reported six to 10 different bears moving from agricultural fields and low elevation slopes in the area where the attack happened, Cody Region wildlife supervisor Dan Smith said in the news release.
The area will be monitored by the agency, Smith said.
“This is a sad and unfortunate situation, we wish both victims a full and speedy recovery,” he said.
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