TOMAMAE, Hokkaido — A massive 380-kilogram male brown bear was found captured in a metal bear trap in this northern Japan town on Nov. 25 and subsequently culled.
Members of a local hunters’ association described the bear as “overweight” with a plump build, a length of 1.9 meters and a paw width of 17 centimeters. The bear is believed to be the same one that was captured shaking the box trap on Nov. 12.
This photo shows a front view of the giant bear inside the trap. (Image courtesy of Toyoyuki Hayashi of the Tomamae hunters’ association)
In the town, dent corn fields had been ravaged, and bear prints left around residences, prompting hunters to lay a bear trap on Nov. 11. A sensor camera filmed a bear shaking the trap to dislodge the venison hung inside as bait on Nov. 12. The shaking bent a part of the trap, but the association repaired it.
Bear prints left in the snow led deep into nearby mountains, but after adding fresh venison inside the trap on Nov. 24, the association found the bear inside the following morning.
At the time of its capture, the bear looked cramped as it lay inside the 80-centimeter-wide trap with its fur protruding out of both sides. It would growl and bare its teeth when approached and was culled on the spot by hunters.
The hunters’ association chairperson, Toyoyuki Hayashi, 76, commented, “Local farmers have thanked us, but one bear-culling doesn’t mean we’ve completely solved the problem. I want residents to keep taking necessary precautions.”
(Japanese original by Haruka Ito, Hokkaido News Department)
AloJapan.com