Churchill man who rescued woman from polar bear attack honoured

A man from Churchill, Man., who rescued a woman as she was attacked by a polar bear last year has received one of the province's highest honours.

Bill Ayotte was awarded the Order of the Buffalo Hunt on Friday in recognition of his "heroic intervention," according to the provincial government.

Ayotte came to the aid of Erin Greene as she was being mauled by a polar bear outside his Churchill home on Nov. 1, 2013.

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Armed with only a shovel, he was able to distract the polar bear so Greene could get away.

The bear then turned on him and mauled him before natural resources officers and other residents could scare it away.

Both Greene and Ayotte suffered multiple lacerations and other injuries as a result of the attack, but the both survived.

"The people of Churchill have learned to live with and respect polar bears but when he saw a young woman being attacked by a bear, Bill Ayotte reacted without hesitation and those actions saved her life," Conservation Minister Gord Mackintosh stated in a news release Friday.

"He risked his own life to save a neighbour and that courage should be recognized and rewarded."

The province also recognized Greene and Churchill resident, Didier Foubert-Allen, who helped with the rescue efforts, as well as the town's seven-member Polar Bear Alert team.

Established in 1957, the Order of the Buffalo Hunt is awarded to those who demonstrate outstanding skills in the areas of leadership, service and community commitment.