Husband Who ‘Leapt’ onto Polar Bear to Protect Wife from Being Mauled During Attack Sustains ‘Serious Injuries’

A man has been seriously injured after trying to prevent a polar bear from attacking his wife in northern Ontario, Canada.

On Tuesday, Dec. 3, before 5 a.m. local time, an adult male and an adult female, who haven’t been named, “exited their home to find their dogs” when the animal “lunged at the woman” in their driveway in Fort Severn First Nation, Ontario, the Nishnawbe Aski Police Service said in a media release.

Officers were dispatched to a residential address “following reports of gunfire,” police said in the release, confirming that the man had been attacked by the polar bear after leaping onto it while trying to save his spouse.

“The man who leapt onto a polar bear to protect his wife from being mauled is recovering from serious injuries to his arm and legs, but is expected to recover,” police said in the release.

The release said police had been “made aware of a possible bear sighting in the same area.”

“When police arrived on scene they located a deceased polar bear and learned an adult male had been transported to the community nursing station to have his injuries assessed and treated,” the release added.

Describing the incident, police said, “The woman slipped to ground as her husband leapt onto the animal to prevent its attack.” 

“The bear then attacked the male, causing serious but non-life-threatening injuries to his arm and legs,” the release continued.

Police added, “During the attack, a neighbor arrived with a firearm and shot the bear several times. The bear retreated to a nearby wooded area where it died from its injuries.”

Officers have “continued to patrol the area to ensure no other bears were roaming the community,” per the release.

According to the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC), “Fort Severn is a Cree First Nation near Hudson Bay” and “is the northernmost community in Ontario.” The outlet stated it has a population of around 500 people.

Alysa McCall — who is the director of conservation outreach and a staff scientist at Polar Bears International — said of why polar bears attack: “A healthy polar bear that’s out on the sea ice is not going to have a lot of incentive to attack a human being,” per the broadcasting company.

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She added that polar bears are usually hunting for seals out on the ice in that area, but “when the ice breaks up, they come inland in search of food.”

“It could be that [when] this attack happened, maybe this bear was a little hungrier than usual,” McCall told the publication, adding that climate change means the animals might be “coming into contact with communities and people more than they used to” due to sea ice patterns changing.

“If you’re attacked by a polar bear, definitely do not play dead — that is a myth,” McCall insisted. “Fight as long as you can.” 

Nishnawbe Aski Police Service and Polar Bears International didn’t immediately respond when contacted by PEOPLE for additional information.