'Terrifying': Grizzly bear attacks two college students in Wyoming

A grizzly bear attacked two college students who appeared to surprise the animal in the Shoshone National Forest in Wyoming.

The men were off a trail on Saturday, searching for antlers from deer and elk in the forest southeast of Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming’s Game and Fish Department said in a statement on Monday. State officials said the men “encountered the bear at close range” and that the incident appeared “to be a sudden, surprise encounter.”

The men were identified as Kendell Cummings of Evanston, Wyoming, and Brady Lowry, of Cedar City, Utah. They are both sophomores at Northwest College in Wyoming, and members of the school's wrestling team, the school confirmed to USA TODAY.

The college said both of the students are expected to recover fully, but declined to provide additional information on their injuries.

The grizzly bear attacked Lowry first, before Cummings was attacked while trying to get the bear away from his friend, according to multiple reports.

“I didn’t want to lose my friend. It was bad. There was big ol’ bear on top of him. I could have run and potentially lost a friend, or get him off and save him,” Cummings told Deseret News from his hospital bed in Billings, Montana.

Lowry told the outlet Monday that his teammate "definitely saved my life. If it wasn’t for him, if I was by myself, I would not have made it off that mountain."

The men were able to call 911, and others nearby helped them get to the trailhead, where they met search and rescue officials and were transported to receive medical care. One of the men was flown by helicopter to a hospital, and the other was taken by ambulance, according to Wyoming officials.

Lisa Watson, president of Northwest College, shared in an email to students and staff that "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," she added.

Coming up at 5 on @KSL5TV: A wrestler from Utah attacked by a grizzly bear in Wyoming, he and his teammate who was also attacked spoke exclusively with me from their hospital in Montana. The young men say they’re alive today because of their teammates. #ksltvpic.twitter.com/CDGLgIbs9h

— Shara Park ✨ (@KSLSharaPark) October 17, 2022

USA TODAY has reached out to Wyoming’s Game and Fish Department for additional information.

Connecticut: 10-year-old boy attacked by black bear at grandparent's home

'Ran him over': 677-pound grizzly bear attacks, injures bird hunter in Montana

“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,” Dan Smith, Cody Region wildlife supervisor, said in the Monday statement.

Contributing: Associated Press

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Wyoming grizzly bear attacks college students south of Yellowstone

Source: Read Full Article