Wildlife Biologist Rescues Drowning Bear

A local man has gained international recognition for his heroic efforts to save a drowning bear.
On Tuesday, June 24, Adam Warwick, a wildlife biologist for Tate's Hell State Forest and bear specialist, was working in his garden a little after 5 p.m. when he received a call from Randy Cohron of Alligator Point saying a bear was roaming between the houses near 1533 Alligator Point Road.
"I assumed this was the same bear seen swimming two miles offshore of Bald Point State Park," said Warwick, who works for the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC).
After making a call to wildlife technician Ron Copely, asking him to come and assist with the bear's capture, Warwick headed to Alligator Point Road.
Upon his arrival, Warwick found the house deserted and no bear in sight. Warwick called FWC Dispatcher D.O. Worley who told him the most recent sighting of the bear had been at 1589 Alligator Point Road.
But when Warwick arrived at that address, the bear had moved on.
Warwick continued along Alligator Point Road until he was flagged down at around 5:40 p.m. near the 1600 block. Copely and FWC Officer Travis Huckeba arrived on the scene shortly after Warwick.
They found a fully-grown male bear, estimated to weigh 325 to 375 lbs. They mixed an appropriate sedative and Copely darted the bear, which then retreated a few yards to a chain link fence.
"Travis Huckeba pointed out that there were people on the beach behind the house and warned me to be careful about frightening the bear," Warwick said. "The bear started walking along the fence toward the road but when he reached the roadside, two cars traveling in opposite directions stopped to photograph the animal, frightening him."
The bear had begun showing signs of the drug's effects. He retreated to the bay and began wading along the shoreline when a bystander approached him, frightening him further.
"His eyes had begun dilating," said Warwick, "So I knew he was going under, but when the man approached him, he started swimming the four miles back to the mainland.
"Ron and I were watching him from a long pier. He started sinking lower and lower in the water and then he began to founder. I took off my shoes and shirt, jumped in the water and swam to him. I swam in front of him to prevent him from heading into deeper water.
"He looked at me like he wanted to climb on me to get out of the water. He rose up and then fell over backwards. He tried to come back up, but it was obvious he had lost control of his limbs," he said. "I got behind him and grabbed the scruff of his neck to get his head out of the water. At this point, there were about 30 people watching from the shore. The bear was about 90 percent immobilized and calm. We were in about four feet of water. I got him on his side and got an arm around him so I could drag him in foot by foot.
"At this point, Officer Huckeba approached in a skiff, alarming the bear again. He began to thrash until the boat pulled away. With the bear in a rescue hold, I pulled him slowly in," Warwick said.
At that point Thad Brett, a general contractor who lives at Alligator Point showed up with a front-loader. "We got him into the bucket and were able to load him back into the truck, where we gave him a second shot," said Warwick.
Warwick took the bear to the Forestry office on Airport Road in Carrabelle and loaded him into a transport cage. He then took the bear home with him for the night and transported him to the Osceola State Forest for release.
Frank Bickerstaff, of Alligator Point, was one of the first to see the bear and watched him while waiting for FWC to arrive on the scene.
"The bear was running along the beach under the houses and almost nobody saw him," said Bickerstaff. "I was just mesmerized by this thing. He was so sleek and beautiful. I've seen little bears in the zoo that were about as big as a 30-gallon trashcan. This bear was as big as two 50-gallon trash cans.
"He was a guaranteed bear. He had a paw on him as big as both my hands. I tried to give him water ‘cause he was real hot," said Bickerstaff. "It was pitiful. I saw him pick up a 50-gallon trash can by the road and carry it under the house. He raised it up like a Dixie cup but it was all beer bottles. I heard them break. As long as I kept talking, he seemed calm but when I stopped talking, especially if I moved, he got real alert.
"I can't say enough about those guys. I don't know what their job is but they did an excellent job with that bear," said Bickerstaff. "I can't say how many brain cells Adam Warwick has, but he did the best job ever of taking care of that bear. That bear was about 250 feet out and fixing to go under when he went in and got it. He rustled that bear back to where he could manhandle him ashore. Nobody else would have done that."