'I thought I was going to die'

A 46-year-old man is lucky to be alive after a vicious polar bear attack outside of Kimmirut Tuesday morning.

Kootoo Shaw suffered serious but non-life threatening injuries while protecting a group of American sport hunters.

The hunters say Shaw is a hero.

"I thought I was going to die, I thought I was going to be gone," says Shaw from his Iqaluit hospital bed.

Shaw was helping guide a group of hunters from Wisconsin when the attack occurred. They were three days into a week-long caribou hunt when the bear crashed into their camp at about four in the morning.

First the bear went for the Americans' tent, gave it a swat, but then headed for the guide's tent, where Shaw was attacked.

"He had his claws under my neck for a while, I could hear his breathing, then he let his claws off and he was still jumping on top me, up and down four times," he says.

Shaw was transported to Kimmirut by boat, and then flown to Iqaluit where he received 300 stitches to reattach his scalp. He also suffered multiple bites and slashes to his back, arms and feet.

The bear has been shot and killed.

"He's a hero because he took the full weight of this attack, and he survived it," he says. "There aren't many men with that strength that could do that, he's been chewed on big time."

The Mayukalik Hunters and Trappers Organization is telling hunters to bring dogs with them when camping in the area for extra protection.