(Ezekiel Loseke, Headline USA) In a heroic act of brotherly love, a Wyoming college wrestler grappled with a grizzly bear to save the life of his teammate and friend.
Brady Lowry and Kendall Cummings—both wrestlers at Northwest College in Powell, Wyo.—decided to go hunting after wrestling practice, Cowboy State Daily reported.
The two were hiking back when a bear attacked Lowry. Powell first tried to get the bear off his friend by throwing things at it and making sounds.
When the bear continued to attack, he began to try to ply the bear off of his friend. “I grabbed and yanked him hard by the ear,” Cummings said.
The bear stopped attacking Lowry but reared up and charged Cummings.
Cummings reported that the bear’s putrid breath and size became terrifyingly apparent as it reared up to survey him.
The bear knocked Cummings down and attacked him but left him alive on the ground.
Cummings called out to ask Lowry if he was all right, and that is when the bear attacked him again.
“I could hear when his teeth would hit my skull,” Cummings said. “I could feel when he’d bite down on my bones and they’d kind of crunch.”
After the bear finished its second attack, Cummings played dead for a few minutes to avoid a third attack before rejoining Lowry. The two then began the 5-mile hike back to the trailhead and a vehicle.
Lowry said he was deeply indebted to his friend for saving his life.
“I owe him everything,” he said. “I can’t even express how grateful I am for him.”
The Cowboy State Daily reported that both men have undergone multiple surgeries in the past few days.
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The duo credited their experiences on the wrestling team for their bond and courage.
Cummings said, “I’d never put it past a wrestler. Wrestlers never say ‘never.'”
Northwest College has set up a crowdfunding page for donations to cover the two students’ medical expenses.
