A 400 lb. black bear wandered into a residential neighborhood in Florida.
Black bears half this size have attacked and killed humans across the nation recently twice in Florida.
Wildlife officers sedated the bear to safely relocate him, and that’s when things began to go horribly wrong.
The tranquilizer dart sent the bear into a panic and he ran towards the saltwater Inland Waterway, evading officers.
As he swam further and further out, he became drowsy and started to drown.
But Adam Warwick, a biologist with the Wildlife Commission, wasn’t about to let that happen. Adam went into the water after the bear … yeah, after a bear … to stop him from going under.
“It was a spur of the moment decision. I had a lot of adrenaline pumping when I saw the helpless bear in the water dying.”
He knew the very high risk, considering the powerful bear was scared and could have easily became aggressive to defend itself, killing him with a single swipe or bite.
But the bear somehow seemed to know it was in good hands.
It seemed to become calm when under the man’s control?
Adam’s determination finally got the 400 pound wild creature safely back into shallow water.
Adam suffered only a scratch from the rescue.
Once they reached the shore, other team members came to help.
The team was able to use a tractor bucket to transport the poor guy back to his home in Osceola National Forest.
Adam rode with him back home … a sight you don’t see on the highway every day (neither had a helmet)…
… where he is safe and happy again and Adam has one honking’ story to tell the grandkids.
Hello,
All I can say is “WOW!!”.
Adam is a hell of a guy, and I think the bear recognized that.
Thank you for forwarding the story and the photos.
Bill Moore