Two college wrestlers are lucky to be alive after sparring with an aggressive grizzly bear in Shoshone National Forest last weekend.
Northwest College wrestling teammates Brayden Lowry and Kendell Cummings were antler hunting when the angry bruin came running out from the trees.
“I didn’t even see it until it was right in front of me, but I heard the crashing,” Lowry told ABC News in an exclusive interview.
The grizzly tackled Lowry first, taking him by the left arm and whipping him around. Cummings, scared that he'd lose his teammate, punched and jumped on the bear to stop the attack, even pulling the bear’s ear. Not liking its ear being pulled, the grizzly turned its attention to him and pinned Cummings against the trees and began attacking him.
"I was putting my hands in its mouth, so it wouldn't be chewing on my neck," Cummings told ABC News.
After the initial attack, the bear lost interest and walked away. When Cummings called out to Lowry to see if he was ok, the grizzly circled back and grabbed Cummings by the skull. Even though he could hear the crunch of the animal’s teeth on his bones, he told the reporters that he had too much adrenaline to feel pain. After the bear lost interest again, it left, and the two students played dead for a while (an activity that was not all that difficult for Cummings).
When it was clear the grizzly had gone, Cummings said he got up and rejoined Lowry. The bloodied men then began their long trek down the mountain, 5 miles away from the Bobcat-Houlihan Trailhead where they started their hike.
Lowry, a native of Cedar City, Utah, credits Cummings with saving his life.
“I can’t even express how grateful I am to him,” Lowry said. “I don’t know what I’m going to do to pay him back. I owe him everything.”
Both men have undergone multiple surgeries over the last couple days. Cummings received 60 staples in his head and plastic surgery to address major lacerations to his face, major lacerations to his left arm and leg that doctors had to suture up, and stitches on his right hand and right leg.
Lowry suffered a compound broken arm and lacerations to his back, shoulders, right leg and thigh.
Lowry was scheduled to be released from the hospital Monday while Cummings is expected to be released later this week.
Veteran hunters and wrestlers, the grapplers said the experience was incomparable to anything they’ve ever gone through. “I’ve never experienced anything like this,” Lowry said.
I’ll bet the bear has never experienced anything like this either, an angry college wrestler giving his ear a good yank.
The bear could not be reached for an interview.
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“Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one’s life for his friends” (John 15:13).
