“Foreign tourist injured in bear attack; sightings increasing in various locations.
In the residential area of Terauchi, Akita City, there have been a series of bear sightings since around the 25th. Local residents say they noticed the bear’s presence because of the sound of its footsteps. A woman whose husband saw the bear said, “I heard a low, dull rumbling sound like footsteps, and when I looked out the window, I saw a bear running around.” On the morning of the 27th, a resident of Hirune, Terauchi, Akita City, noticed a noise when she was about to take out the trash and found a bear about 1 meter long in her yard. The woman whose husband saw the bear said, “We used to have barbecues in the yard, but that’s all gone now. I hope something happens to it soon.” The woman says she takes extra precautions, such as making noise when she goes out. There is a park south of where the bear was sighted, but it is said that no one has been visiting it since. Bears have been appearing in the Terauchi area since the end of June, and the city has set up four box traps in an attempt to capture them. On the morning of the 28th, a bear about 1 meter long was also sighted in the large parking lot of the Prefectural Youth Exchange Center.
