Hunters shot and killed a brown bear early on July 18 in a residential neighborhood in Fukushima, Hokkaido, that is suspected of being involved in the killing of a newspaper delivery man six days earlier.
Authorities are investigating whether the bear, which was killed with a rifle, was the same bear responsible for the earlier fatal attack.
However, sources said that the bear shot this time was not the same size as the one involved in the fatal attack.
The investigation will take about a week, according to the Hokkaido government.
At 1:55 a.m. on July 18, a resident of the Tsukisaki district in Fukushima, Hokkaido, reported in an emergency call, “There’s a bear outside. I can see it from my window.”
According to the Matsumae Police Station, police officers and two hunters searched the area and found a bear hiding in the bushes nearby. The police then closed the roads.
Although hunting with firearms is prohibited in residential areas, the police issued an emergency order authorizing the hunters to shoot the bear under the Police Duties Execution Law.
At around 3:30 a.m., the bear was shot and killed with a rifle. Two shots were fired.
The bear, which was 2 meters long and weighed 218 kilograms, had a paw 15 centimeters wide. It had brownish fur and appeared to be an 8- to 9-year-old male bear.
Since early July, bears have been spotted frequently in the Tsukisaki district. Some residents reported having had their garbage areas ransacked by bears.
On the morning of July 12, a 52-year-old newspaper delivery man was attacked and killed by a bear near the entrance of a house in the adjacent Mitake district of the same town.
After the fatal attack, bears continued to be seen in both districts. Based on witness testimonies and the sizes of pawprints found, it is believed that several bears are wandering around the area.
Hokkaido police and the town have requested expert analysis of the stomach contents and DNA of the exterminated bear, to determine whether it was the same animal that killed the newspaper delivery man.
Under the current Wildlife Protection and Hunting Law, the use of firearms is prohibited in residential areas and at night. However, the Police Duties Execution Law allows police to issue necessary orders in emergency situations to prevent dangerous situations.
At a regular news conference on July 17, Hokkaido Governor Naomichi Suzuki called on residents to remain vigilant for bears.
Suzuki had previously issued a Hokkaido’s first brown bear warning to town of Fukushima on July 12 after the newspaper delivery man was attacked.
He also said the Hokkaido government will take measures to ensure safety by trapping bears as soon as possible, and that it plans to review the current bear warning system.
The bear warning system was established by the Hokkaido government in 2022 to prevent damage from bears.
The alert system has three levels: a warning issued after a human injury in a residential area; an advisory when brown bears are frequently spotted; and a caution to broadly raise awareness.
The Hokkaido government dispatched five staff members to Fukushima when the warning was issued to take measures in cooperation with town officials and police.
Before the warning was issued on July 12, no advisory had been released.
However, the Hokkaido government’s bear alert standards rely on vaguely defined thresholds such as when bears “frequently appear,” creating challenges for consistent implementation.
“Although we responded by sharing information on bear sightings with the town, the extremely regrettable incident occurred,” Suzuki said, “We must consistently revise the system so that it functions effectively.”
He also said it would be necessary to work with the town to “review and identify issues (with the bear warning system).”
“We will gather feedback from municipalities and listen to experts as we work to revise the system,” Suzuki said.
(This article was compiled from reports by Ichiro Noda and Shinichi Maruishi.)
AloJapan.com