July 25, 2008: Bear Rescue

[Clodfobble]

Happy Friday!



This wildlife officer working on the coast of Florida put his own life in danger when he dove into the ocean to save a black bear from drowning. The bear had wandered into a residential area looking for food, and a warden had shot it with a tranquilizer dart to take it back to the forest. But the bear was so large that the dart did not immediately drop it to the ground, and instead the bear staggered into the water in a daze.

Adam Warwick, who works for the Florida Fish and Wildlife Commission, realized the bear was in danger of drowning. He stripped to his underwear, dove into the water and wrapped his arm around the bear's neck to keep its head above water.

The rescue was successful, and Warwick escaped with only a few scratches, despite the fact that the creature weighed over 350 lbs. and was, you know, a bear.

"I had no idea what I was getting myself into," he said. "It was a spur of the minute decision. I was swimming toward the bear, trying to prevent him from swimming into deeper water. He was losing function in his arms and legs and was obviously in distress."

Once ashore (and finally passed out,) the bear was loaded onto a truck and returned to its home in the woods, completely unharmed.