The bear that attacked four people in Fukushima City and then stayed at a factory reportedly left on the night of the 3rd. City officials confirmed that the bear appears to have escaped by opening a locked window.
At a factory in Fukushima Prefecture where a bear intruded and injured four people, vigilance remains in place on the 4th. Why do bear attacks on people increase in June? Experts point to “two reasons.”
■Giant brown bear “stalking” A camera set up in a forest near a residential area captured the image of what appears to be a female brown bear. A huge brown bear appeared just behind the female as she walked. It appears to be following closely behind her. The male bear has stored up plenty of fat. How big is it? Tetsuya Kurosawa, who has observed brown bears for 30 years, says, “I think it’s quite large. More than 2 meters long and weighing around 350 kilograms. This one is also very fat, a ‘metabolic brown bear’.” According to Kurosawa, who took the photos, the male brown bear weighs around 350 kilograms. Two days later, another camera captured the male following the female again. It chases after her, shaking its massive body, at a distance of only a few meters. This is actually a behavior unique to this time of year. Tetsuya Kurosawa, who has observed brown bears for 30 years, says, “They are in the breeding season and chasing females. Once they target one, they seem to chase her relentlessly. I have even filmed scenes in the past where two males were chasing one female.” Experts warn that “particular caution is needed” in June, which is the bear breeding season.
Yasuo Tamaki, leader of the brown bear control team at the Sapporo branch of the Hokkaido Hunting Association, says, “Now that they are in the breeding season, the range of females’ movements is small, but males move over a considerably wide area to engage in reproductive behavior. Males that are not usually there are coming in one after another, and there are also territorial disputes.” The person sounding the alarm is Yasuo Tamaki, leader of the “brown bear control team” that is dealing with bears in Sapporo. Yasuo Tamaki, leader of the Hokkaido Hunting Association Sapporo Branch Brown Bear Control Team, said, “In some cases, female bears are running away from males. When that happens, they become extremely agitated and dangerous. If the female has cubs with her, she will try to protect them and will think that ‘anything that comes close is an enemy.’ During the breeding season, we must be careful when we enter the mountains knowing that individuals in various states are competing for survival in a small territory.” In Sapporo, bears have appeared frequently in urban areas. The city has designated bears that do not run away immediately upon seeing people as “harmful level 2” and will cull them if necessary.
■Factory on high alert again today In Fukushima City, where there have been a series of incidents of people being harmed since the beginning of June, a high level of alert was also in place on the 4th. Caution continues at factories where bears have entered. At around 6:30 a.m. on the 2nd, the bear first appeared at another factory. It chased after a man who was running away and attacked him in the back and other places. The bear ran away and entered the building. Then, it broke through the glass door and returned. The bear appears to have been in an agitated state. After that, the bear went to another factory. This is a photograph of it running around the premises. The bear attacked four people, two men and two women, with its sharp claws and fangs. It is estimated to be over one meter long. Associate Professor Takayoshi Yamauchi of Iwate University said, “When they become agitated, they run around like this, drooling. They become agitated when they are startled by contact with people or cars. When they panic, they run around at tremendous speed, becoming extremely dangerous. There have been past cases where they have attacked people one after another that come into their sight. It seems that this individual also fell into that state.” On the 4th, Fukushima City Mayor Baba held an emergency press conference. Fukushima City Mayor Yuki Baba: “We took emergency measures to hunt the bear. However, at around 10:50 p.m. on the 3rd, the bear moved outside the premises. Then, at around 11:05 p.m., the city confirmed that the bear was gone and lifted the emergency hunting measures at the site.” The bear, which had stayed at the factory for two days, was seen leaving the premises on the night of the 3rd.
■Opening the lock and drinking water from the tap According to the city, the windows on the first floor of the building were locked but had been broken. It is believed that the bear forced them open and escaped. Furthermore, it is said that the water from the tap had been left running. Fukushima City official: “Our staff believe that the bear also opened the tap. We confirmed that the bear was drinking water while holding its hand over the tap. It is quite unusual for a factory to leave the water running like that, so we understand that it was the work of the bear.”
Multiple cameras captured the bear, which is believed to have attacked people, running around the city. This is thought to have been shortly after it attacked two employees at the factory at around 6:30 a.m. on the 2nd. Furthermore, at the same time, the bear was also captured on a dashcam… It suddenly jumped out in front of the car and sped towards the railroad crossing. The driver was the vice-principal of a nearby elementary school. Junichi Kuno, Vice-Principal of Noda Elementary School, Fukushima City: “When I was driving, a large black object appeared in the rearview mirror, so I wondered what was going on, and realized it was a bear. I thought, this is dangerous. This sidewalk is a school route for children, and there is a junior high school further down. It’s terrifying to think what would have happened if it had been an hour later.” The whereabouts of the bear that attacked the person are unknown. Yuki Baba, Mayor of Fukushima City: “It is highly likely that the bear is still in the city. The city will continue to cooperate with relevant organizations and will strengthen patrols and other measures to maintain vigilance.”
■Beware of the breeding season and cubs leaving their mothers! Regarding the characteristics of this bear, an expert said… Takayoshi Yamauchi, Associate Professor, Iwate University: “It may have just been separated from its mother. It is quite common for such individuals to temporarily wander into urban areas, so that is a possibility.” June is the breeding season for bears, as well as the time when cubs leave their mothers, so caution is being urged. [TV Asahi NEWS]
