This capture image from a provided video shows a brown bear attacking a male Yezo deer in Rausu, Hokkaido, on July 27, 2025.
NEMURO, Hokkaido — A brown bear was filmed attacking a male Yezo deer with impressive antlers on a national road in Hokkaido’s Shiretoko Peninsula on July 27. The bear was later killed by municipal officials who rushed to the scene, and the deer was also recovered.
According to Hokkaido Prefectural Police’s Nakashibetsu Police Station, the attack was witnessed around 10:20 a.m. on National Route 335 in the town of Rausu in the Shiretoko Peninsula, which has been registered as a World Natural Heritage site for 20 years. The scene was about 50 meters from the nearest house.
A local resident who saw the incident said, “The bear bit the struggling deer’s neck and tried to drag it into the grass off the road, but perhaps because the bear was small, it couldn’t lift the deer off the road. So, the bear repeatedly ate a little of the crying deer on the road and then attacked it again. Cars were backed up in both directions, and some people got out to film with their smartphones, which was dangerous.”
According to officials, the bear that was exterminated was a 95-kilogram female.
Masami Yamanaka, a special researcher at the Shiretoko Nature Foundation, commented, “It’s unclear whether the deer was inattentive and got attacked or was weakened by a traffic accident.” He added, “If you see a deer that can’t move, please report it to the relevant authorities immediately, as bears may quickly feed on it and the situation can become dangerous.”
(Japanese original by Hiroaki Homma, Nemuro Bureau; Video provided by a witness)
AloJapan.com