A man is recovering from serious injuries after leaping onto a polar bear to protect his wife from being mauled by the animal, according to police in Canada’s Ontario province.

A man and a woman in the town of Fort Severn had left their home before 5 a.m. local time to look for their dogs and, while in the driveway, “a polar bear lunged at the woman,” Nishnawbe Aski Police Service (NAPS) said in a news release Tuesday.

“The woman slipped to (the) 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 service added.

The man “is expected to recover,” police said.

While the man grappled with the animal, “a neighbour arrived with a firearm and shot the bear several times. The bear retreated to a nearby wooded area where it died from its injuries,” NAPS said.

Police officers, who arrived at the scene after receiving reports of gunfire and a possible bear sighting in the area, “located a deceased polar bear,” the service said, adding: “Police continued to patrol the area to ensure no other bears were roaming the community.”