Man Saves Black Bear From Drowning

Animal Had Wandered Into Fla. Neighborhood; Bolted Into Gulf Of Mexico After Being Hit With Tranquilizer Dart

(CBS/ AP)  A Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) biologist pulled off a daring rescue off the Panhandle -- that of a bear.

Officials say a 375-pound male black bear was seen roaming a residential neighborhood, evidently in search of food, near Alligator Point, some 40 miles south of Tallahassee.

The bear was hit with a tranquilizer dart, but he managed to bolt into the Gulf of Mexico before the drugs took effect.

At that point, FWC biologist Adam Warwick jumped in to keep the bear, who was some 25 yards offshore, from drowning.

He managed to get the bear to shore, and then a backhoe operator helped load the animal onto a truck. The bear was relocated to Osceola National Forest near Lake City, Fla.

On The Early Show Monday, Warwick told co-anchor Maggie Rodriguez he wasn't worried about the bear injuring him as much as a sting ray stinging him.

"I just wanted to try to get in front of him and keep him from swimming out there and drowning," Warwick says.

The bear, he continued, "started to swim, started to make the four-mile swim across the harbor. And so, I looked at (a colleague) and I said, 'I've got to go out there and stop him.' So, I took off my shirt and shoes, jumped in the water and swam in the direction to head him off and keep him from going into deeper water. Once I did that, I got in front of him, tried to create some splashing and some commotion and tried to get him to go back into 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."

According to FWC, "Warwick kept one arm underneath the bear and the other gripping the scruff of its neck to keep the bear's head above water. Warwick said he walked barefoot over concrete blocks crusted with barnacles in the 4-foot-deep water as he tried to guide and use the water to help float the bear back to shore.

He said he cut his feet on the barnacles and the bear scratched him once on the foot, but he was otherwise uninjured.

Area resident Wendy Chandler said Warwick looked like a lifeguard, pulling a tired swimmer to shore.

Warwick said the bear's buoyancy made his job less difficult.

"It's a lot easier to drag a bear in 4-foot water than move him on dry land," he said.

[wineberry]

Well it goes to show that there are people out there that do still care about another life, whether it''s human or animal. Thank goodness that guy pulled the bear to safety, otherwise it probably would have drowned.

[Gary Kempf]

I guess he was doing the "bear essential" part of the job.

[irliberal]

I loved this story. It''s great to see that people actually care about animals instead of treating them like food, property, annoyances or new tire tread.

It is how we treat animals that best defines us as a people.

[cheddarboy82]

good guy ! thank god for people like this.

[observer2020]

Thank You, Adam Warwick! It''s hard to save animals because they just don''t get what you are trying to do.

[deborahcox05]

I absolutely LOVE this story! Too bad we don''t have more news like this.

[jetlizhan]

i love stories like this - i''m all for the animals - thanks adam warwick - you''re my hero of the day!

[smurfcrusher]

Great and noble effort! And if he failed, the bear would have made an excellent throw rug.

[piercetheval]

AND A BIG BEAR HUG TO YOU, WHAT A GUY!

[bigtreebear]

A true hero and so dang handsome too! Thanks Adam!

[wakeup60]

Way to go Adam!!!!!!!!!!!!!! You "ARE" a "HERO" !!!
I''m for the animals. too....even over the Humans....the majority of the time!!! If you don''t think treating an animal kindly and lovingly...means a hill of beans??? Try again...mean people on this planet/Karma reaches out to get ya if you don''t!!!!!! OUR Priceless Animals...keep them safe and cared for...no matter what the breed or kind!They have just as much right and reason for being here...to be our companions and friends ... as we have taking up their space and habitat.... even more so!!!

[tomrobla]

Anchorage Alaska
Brown Bear attacks and mauls 14 year old girl on bicycle. Girl is in critical condition.

[johnstossel]

Awesome. With so many people harming or killing innocent animals we need more of this! Good work!!!

[lyndar2]

Awesome....what a guy!! Thanks for making my day much
brighter!

[susan10001-2009]

This tells of the quality of this person...

Wow...

[estabwary]

Good for the bear, good for Adam & good for us! YAY!

[seemay]

I live at Alligator Point and the bear was at my house about 3 or 4 weeks ago. I called FWC and they told me to just walk slowly away if I ran into him again (in the meantime, the bear was still pacing on my property, dogs going crazy, and at times they were nose to nose with the bear through the wide slats in my wood fence). FWC didn''t want to tranquilize and relocate him because they said the odds weren''t in the bear''s favor if they took it to a new "territory." They described it all as a "human problem." And I get that. But I''m deeply conflicted, rooting for the bear, celebrating Warwick, and hoping that everyone''s well wishes will help our bear make a good living at his new home. And so it goes.

[maruangarita]

Biologist Adam Warwick is a hero, and a real man! May his life be filled with happiness! We need more people like Mr. Warwick!

[vgts2]

This is a GREAT article - this guy deserves a MEDAL! THIS is what HUMAN COMPASSION IS ALL ABOUT - NOT THROWING PUPPIES/ANIMALS DOWN CLIFFS! GOD BLESS THIS GUY!