A man in northern Ontario is recovering from serious injuries to his arm and leg after leaping onto a polar bear to save his wife, who was attacked in their driveway in Fort Severn First Nation on Tuesday, December 3.
Police said the woman was attacked by the polar bear before her husband intervened, causing serious but non-life-threatening injuries to his arm and legs. A neighbor shot the bear multiple times, killing it, after it retreated to a nearby wooded area.
Experts say polar bears are less likely to attack humans when healthy and on sea ice, where they hunt for seals. However, climate change may lead to more encounters between humans and polar bears as the animals come inland in search of food.
“It’s not recommended to play dead if attacked by a polar bear,” said Alysa McCall, director of conservation outreach at Polar Bears International. “Instead, fight as long as you can.”
Fort Severn, with a population of around 500 people, is a Cree First Nation near Hudson Bay and has historically rare but increasing risks of polar bear attacks during land-based periods when bears are hungry and in poor body condition.
Source: https://people.com/husband-leapt-onto-polar-bear-protect-wife-being-mauled-attack-8757229