FORT SEVERN FIRST NATION — A man who stepped in to save his wife from a polar bear has suffered serious injuries in an incident at Fort Severn First Nation.
He suffered major but non-life-threatening wounds to an arm and to his legs while trying to fend off the bear Tuesday morning in the remote Hudson Bay community 850 kilometres north of Thunder Bay.
According to Nishnawbe Aski Police Service, after leaving their home before 5:00 a.m. to find their dogs, the couple unexpectedly encountered the polar bear in their driveway.
When the animal lunged at the woman she slipped to the ground, prompting her husband to leap onto its back to prevent it from getting to her.
As he was being mauled by the bear, a neighbour arrived with a firearm and shot it several times, causing it to retreat to a wooded area where it was later found dead.
The victim was taken to to the community nursing station for assessment and treatment, and is expected to recover.
Police said they continued to patrol the vicinity to ensure no other bears were in the area.
