Medal awarded to Churchill man who rescued woman from polar bear attack
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Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 03/10/2014 (4212 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.
A man who saved a woman from a polar bear attack last year in Churchill has been awarded Order of the Buffalo Hunt, Manitoba’s highest honour.
Bill Ayotte was given the award today by Conservation and Water Stewardship Minister Gord Mackintosh and Aboriginal and Northern Affairs Minister Eric Robinson.
Ayotte heard the screams of Erin Greene as she was attacked by a polar bear outside his house in the early morning hours. He grabbed a shovel and distracted the bear so she could get away. The bear turned on him and he suffered numerous injuries before natural resource officers and other residents could scare it away.
“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,” Mackintosh said. “He risked his own life to save a neighbour and that courage should be recognized and rewarded.”
The province also recognized the seven-member Polar Bear Alert team of natural resource officers, Churchill resident Didier Foubert-Allen, who helped with the rescue efforts, and Greene, who was mauled by the bear.
Manitoba’s Order of the Buffalo Hunt was established in 1957. It’s awarded by the province to people who demonstrate outstanding skills in leadership, service and community commitment.