PARK COUNTY, Wyoming — Two college wrestlers were mauled by a grizzly bear while hiking in Wyoming over the weekend.
Brady Lowry of Cedar City, Utah, and Kendell Cummings of Evanston, Wyoming, were out hunting for shed antlers Saturday in the Shoshone National Forest just south of Cody when they were attacked.
The grizzly first went after Lowry, according to a report from Cowboy State Daily. Cummings ran in and tried to pull the bear off of Lowry, which resulted in the bear also attacking him.
Both young men are on the Northwest College wrestling team. Fellow teammates August Harrison and Orin Jackson were also out with them but were not around at the time of the attack, according to a spokesperson for the college.
A statement from the Wyoming Game & Fish Department said the pair of hikers encountered the bear "at close range in heavy cover," and it appeared to be a "sudden, surprise encounter."
They were able to call 911 from an area near the scene of the attack and made it to the trailhead with the help of a local resident, a hunter, and others in their group. There, they met up with search and rescue members, and one of the injured men was airlifted to an area hospital while the other was taken by ambulance.
Both Lowry and Cummings are expected to make a full recovery, according to a message sent to the student body from Northwest College President Lisa Watson, who also noted that they had bear spray but weren't able to utilize it due to the "suddenness of the encounter."
"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," Watson wrote. "It took quick thinking and no small amount of bravery for this to have ended without tragedy."
The Wyoming Game & Fish Department said it has received reports that indicate there are as many as 6-10 bears roaming throughout the general area where the attack occurred. They said they 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.”
