Two College Wrestlers Mauled in Surprise Grizzly Attack in Wyoming

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Grizzly bear activity is on the rise in the region where the attack occurred, authorities say. NPS / Jim Peaco

Northwest College sophomores and wrestlers Kendell Cummings and Brady Lowry suffered serious injuries after a grizzly attacked them during a shed hunt in Wyoming on Saturday, Oct. 15. The two are now receiving medical care in a Billings hospital.

Cummings, of Evanston, Wyoming, and Lowry, of Cedar City, Utah, were out with two other wrestling teammates near the Bobcat Houlihan trailhead on the Shoshone National Forest, southwest of Cody, Wyoming, according to a press release from the Wyoming Game and Fish Department. As Lowry and Cummings made their way down the mountain in the afternoon, the grizzly jumped out unexpectedly and started attacking Lowry. Cummings then reportedly tried to pull the bear off his teammate, which prompted the bear to start attacking Cummings, Northwest College athletic director Brian Erickson told the Cowboy State Daily.

Eventually the injured duo made it back to their vehicle with the help of the two uninjured wrestlers, a nearby hunter, and a local resident. Park County Search and Rescue and WGFD personnel arrived at the scene after the group called 911. Cummings was life-flighted to St. Vincent Healthcare in Billings, Montana, and Lowry was taken to Cody Regional Hospital in an ambulance. He was then life-flighted to the hospital in Billings shortly thereafter. Both have received multiple surgeries but are expected to survive the encounter.

“We’re praying for those kids and their families and the rest of the team and their coach,” Erickson says. “They’re alive and doing well, for what happened.”

According to a letter from Northwest College president Lisa Watson, the four were carrying bear spray at the time, but the attack was too sudden for any of them to deploy it.

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“I am so grateful for those who assisted these brave young men in the aftermath of this terrifying ordeal and that no lives were lost. It took quick thinking and no small amount of bravery for this to have ended without tragedy,” Watson writes. “May their recovery be swift, and their spirits remain strong.”

Grizzly bears remain active well into the fall. They are currently in the midst of hyperphagia, during which they eat and drink in excess to put on weight for their winter hibernation. This can lead to an increased aggression toward humans, especially if bears are conditioned to eating human food.

“In the vicinity where the attack occurred, reports from landowners and hunters indicate there may be six to 10 different bears moving between agricultural fields and low elevation slopes,” WGFD Cody Region wildlife supervisor Dan Smith says. “Game and Fish will continue to monitor bear activity in the area and work with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to make management decisions in the best interest of public safety.”

The post Two College Wrestlers Mauled in Surprise Grizzly Attack in Wyoming appeared first on Outdoor Life.

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By: Katie Hill
Title: Two College Wrestlers Mauled in Surprise Grizzly Attack in Wyoming
Sourced From: www.outdoorlife.com/survival/two-college-wrestlers-mauled-by-grizzly/
Published Date: Mon, 17 Oct 2022 16:49:57 +0000