A man was seriously injured after he jumped to the rescue of his wife who had been ambushed by a polar bear in an early morning attack, police said.
Members of the Nishnawbe Aski Police Service, who work out of the Fort Severn First Nation detachment in Ontario, Canada, were dispatched to a residential address early Tuesday morning for a report of shots fired, according to a statement from the Nishnawbe Aski Police Service.
When authorities arrived, they found in the investigation that an adult male and an adult female “had left the home just before 5:00 a.m. to find their dogs. While at the entrance to the home, a polar bear attacked the woman,” police said.
“The woman slipped to the ground and her husband jumped on top of the animal to avoid the attack. The bear attacked the man, causing serious but non-life-threatening injuries to his arm and legs,” continued the Nishnawbe Aski Police Service.
During the attack, a resident reportedly arrived with a firearm and was able to shoot the bear several times before it retreated into a nearby wooded area and later died of its injuries.
When police arrived on scene, they found the dead polar bear and learned that “an adult male was transported to the community nursing station for evaluation and treatment of injuries,” police said.
Officials continued to patrol the area after the attack to make sure no more bears roamed the community.
The unnamed man is recovering from serious injuries to his arm and legs, but is expected to survive.
