Elijah Barkley was planning a fishing trip with some friends and loved ones in West Virginia. While he was very excited about the trip, he never could have predicted what would happen next. No one could have ever guessed that Elijah would be responsible for saving a life. That is what makes this story such an incredible one and we cannot get enough of this amazing tale.

Elijah was in the process of making his way back to the camp he was staying at. A forest ranger stopped him and gave him a valuable piece of advice. There was a lost bear in the area. Elijah was told to keep an eye out for the animal. As it turns out, the little bear was lost and orphaned. The little guy was not doing very well without his mother, either.

Even bear cubs have their own struggles to worry about. Once Elijah got back to the river, he could see the baby bear. At first, he thought that the animal was tired. The little guy was not moving at all. Maybe he was just exhausted from being lost all day? However, Elijah was not willing to accept this explanation at face value. He motioned the forest ranger over.

The bear was not moving and he wanted to make sure that the animal was all right. Joel Rosenthal is the bear handler who was in the area at the time. As the runner of a wildlife rehab center known as Point of View Farm, Inc., he has seen a number of animals in distress. He’d been doing his best to find the bear cub and save his life.

Fortunately, Elijah found the animal at the last possible moment. The bear cub had tried to cross the river but his body started to give out. The animal started to drown. Once Elijah saw the animal’s head dipping beneath the water, he acted instinctively.

We cannot fathom his bravery.

He successfully hauled the animal back to shore and saved him from drowning. The bear handler was able to take the cub back to his facility and now, things are starting to look up for the animal. He will return to full health soon and it won’t be long before he is ready to head back out into the wild. Rosenthal is aiming to return the animal into the wild by the time summer rolls around.