Kindhearted Man Saves 400 Pound Black Bear From Drowning In The Ocean

May 13, 2023

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The residents of Alligator Point, Florida were on edge after seeing a large black bear roaming their neighborhood. Although it may seem unusual to see a black bear in a Florida neighborhood, wildlife officials estimate that there are currently over 4,050 black bears living in the state as of 2016.

Residents have good reason to be scared of bears. Although not normally vicious, these bears are incredibly strong and can defend themselves when they feel threatened. People also pose a risk to bears so its best they keep their distance from each other.

Since food is plentiful in Florida, female bears can weigh up to 300 pounds and male bears can weigh up to 450 pounds. Most black bears grow to be 5 to 6 feet tall at the shoulder and have long strong claws and very sharp teeth.
No one wants a run in with a black bear so when the bear showed up in Alligator Point, wildlife officials had no choice but to shoot the bear with a tranquilizer gun and that’s when things started to go very wrong, very quickly.

When the bear was hit by the tranquilizer, rather than falling asleep, the bear panicked and ran toward the gulf, then swam out into the ocean.
Knowing that there was no way the tranquilized bear would survive in the water, a biologist named Adam quickly sprung into action to save it.

He took off his shirt and swam to the bear. By the time he reached it, the bear had lost the use of its limbs. Adam grabbed the 400 pound animal around the neck and began making his way back toward the shore, a span of about 75 feet.
The bear was heavy and it was hard to keep its head out of the water, but Adam made sure that the bear made it to safety.

With help, the bear was brought up to the shore where it was eventually loaded into a tractor bucket and delivered carefully back to the forest.
Adam survived the ordeal with only a few cuts and bruises and thankfully, things ended well for the bear, too.