When a huge black bear wandered into a Florida neighborhood, wildlife officers were called to sedate him and safely relocate him to the wild. But moments after the bear was shot with a tranquilizer, things began to go very wrong.
A wild bear was spotted roaming around a residential neighborhood.
Wildlife officers were called in, and determined that the massive bear must be tranquilized and moved back to the forest. But the dart sent the bear into a panic
He ran towards the ocean, and began swimming out. But he quickly became drowsy and started to drown.
Adam Warwick, a biologist with the Wildlife Commission, wasn’t about to let that happen. He knew he had to act, and quickly.
Without hesitating, Adam dove into the ocean after the huge bear.
“It was a spur of the moment decision. I had a lot of adrenaline pumping when I saw the bear in the water,” he later said.
Onlookers were shocked as this hero grabbed the 7 foot, 400lb bear.
The bear tried lunging at Adam to climb on top of him and stay afloat, but he was losing the ability to move his legs.
Adam stayed calm and grabbed the bear by the back of his neck. He started dragging the bear towards the shore.
Everyone held their breath as Adam dragged the dangerous animal 25 yards to land.
The pair made it to shore after what seemed like eternity.
Incredibly, Adam suffered only one scratch from the bear during the ordeal.
Once they eventually reached the shore, others came to help the exhausted man and beast.
The team was able to use a tractor to transport the groggy bear back to his home in Osceola National Forest.
He probably won’t be going anywhere near water for a while following this experience.
That’s good, because he looks much happier on land than he did in the ocean.
Heroes are those who do the right thing without fear, despite what the consequences might be. Adam certainly meets this criteria, stepping up to do the unthinkable when no one else dared, and saving the life of one of the most dangerous animals in the world.
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Photos by: Becky Bickerstaff and Adam Warwick of The Nature Conservancy.