During the early winter season, many across the country are having more close encounters with bears as they prepare for their long winter hibernation. You see, bears typically eat up to 20,000 calories per day when preparing for their big sleep; that’s several times more than the average human! However, coming across a bear in the wild can be a terrifying experience. A lot of folks may not know this, but bears are not only bigger and stronger, but they can easily outrun any human (talk about unfair). Should one encounter a bear, especially in the fall season, it’s essential not to approach them. These creatures are often ravenous and, as you can imagine, pretty cranky.
Thankfully, when most folks encounter a wayward bear encroaching onto human territory, they call special wildlife experts trained to relocate the creatures safely. One would be surprised where these curious creatures can show up, as many have a reputation for appearing in people’s backyards and even in their homes looking for food. The most common place is often a trash can where bears use their ultra-sensitive noses to sniff out food. They’ve even been known to pop in a doggie door or two!
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Back in 2008, when a black bear was reported roaming about a neighborhood in South Tallahassee, Florida. Wildlife officers from the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission were called out, and they immediately started the process of securing the animal before anyone got hurt.
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Unfortunately, when the tranquilizer dart hit the bear, he panicked and started running toward the ocean.
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The creature ended up swimming all the way out into the Gulf of Mexico even as the tranquilizer began to kick in.
Biologist Adam Warwick watched in horror as the bear continued swimming further out. He knew that if he didn’t act soon, the bear would drown.
So, Adam quickly took off his shoes and shirt before diving headfirst into the water to rescue a 375-pound bear from certain doom.
“I just wanted to try to get in front of him and keep him from swimming out there and drowning,” Adam told CBS News.
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“I got in front of him, tried to create some splashing and some commotion and tried to get him to go back to shore. But he wasn’t having any of that. The scariest part was probably when he decided — he started looking at me as if he wanted to climb up on me to keep from drowning and, at one point, he reared up on his hind legs, so I’m looking at a six-and-a-half-foot tall bear. Instead of lunging forward, he fell straight back and was submerged for a couple of seconds and, that’s kinda when I moved in.”
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Adam managed to slowly guide the bear back to shore while holding onto him with one arm underneath, using the other to hold up the creature’s neck to keep the bear’s head above the waterline.
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It turns out the bear had swum about 25 yards out into the ocean from the shore by the time Adam got to him.
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While the water wasn’t very deep in that part, the ocean floor was covered with sharp barnacles and concrete, which Adam was able to brave barefoot.
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After being rescued, the bear was then loaded onto a truck using a bulldozer to begin a trip back to his home in the Osceola National Forest.
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Hopefully, he’ll be staying far away from the ocean, not to mention tranquilizer darts for the rest of his happy life.
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Incredibly, Adam came away from the rescue with just a few scratches on his feet from walking on the ocean floor and only a scratch from the bear itself. Not only did he save the life of one of the most dangerous creatures on the face of the planet, but he came away from his hair-raising experience nearly unscathed!
Thanks to Adam’s quick thinking, the bear was able to make a full recovery.
Adam’s a true hero, and the animals in his neck of the woods are lucky to have him around. For more on this incredible story, you can also check out the video below.