A Canadian man leaped to the defense of his wife after a polar bear lunged toward her in a dramatic ambush by the animal in rural Ontario.
According to the Nishnawbe Aski Police Service, the unidentified couple left their house at around 5 a.m. Tuesday to find their dogs.
They were met in their driveway by a feisty polar bear, who lunged at the woman.
Police said the fast-moving man jumped onto the mammal to prevent the attack.
“The woman slipped to the ground as her husband leap[ed] onto the animal to prevent its attack,” police said in a statement. “The bear then attacked the male, causing serious but non-life-threatening injuries to his arm and legs.”
A neighbor arrived with a gun and shot the bear several times.
After being shot, it retreated into nearby woods where it died.
The man was transported to a community nursing station, where he was treated for his injuries, police said.
Police said they “continued to patrol the area to ensure no other bears were roaming the community.”
