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

Mar. 15, 2025

A stock photo of a polar bear.Photo:Getty

Getty

On Tuesday, Dec. 3, before 5 a.m. local time, the couple “exited their home to find their dogs” when the bear “lunged at the woman” in their driveway in Fort Severn First Nation, Ontario, the Nishnawbe Aski Police Service said in astatement.

“The man … is recovering from serious injuries to his arm and legs, but is expected to recover,” police said. (Neither of them have been named.)

A photo of a Nishnawbe Aski Police Service car.Nishnawbe-Aski Police Service Facebook

Nishnawbe-Aski Police Service Facebook

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,” authorities continued in their statement.

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

A photo of a street in Fort Severn First Nation, Ontario, Canada.Alamy

Alamy

According to theCanadian Broadcasting Corporation, “Fort Severn is a Cree First Nation near Hudson Bay” and “is the northernmost community in Ontario,” with 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.

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 said, 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.

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The organization said it had “demonstrated some non-lethal methods of reducing conflict, such as bear bangers and electric fences” in the Fort Severn area.

source: people.com