HOKKAIDO, May 11 (News On Japan) –
A brown bear was caught on camera running at high speed through a residential area in Hokkaido, as sightings of unusually large bears continue to spread across the region this spring.
Dashcam footage recorded at around midnight on May 8th in Yubetsu, located in Hokkaido’s Okhotsk region, showed the animal racing through a neighborhood street. The driver later alerted police.
Bear droppings were later found at three locations in the town between the early morning and sunrise hours, including near the main gate of Yubetsu High School.
The school suspended club activities while police increased patrols in the area.
“One resident said, ‘It’s true, those are bear tracks. I’ve lived here a long time and never seen anything like this.’”
Another resident added, “We often hear about bears appearing in the mountains farther away, but not around here.”
Town officials believe the droppings and footprints likely belong to the same young bear that recently became independent from its mother.
In nearby Okoppe, another giant bear was captured on camera approaching through a forest near homes on May 2nd. The animal appeared remarkably large despite having only recently emerged from hibernation, with footage showing its thick body swaying as it walked and its sharp claws clearly visible.
Another camera also captured the bear rubbing its back against a tree before wandering away.
“The bear was probably between 1.8 and 2 meters long and may have weighed 250 to 300 kilograms,” said wildlife observer Tetsuya Kurosawa, who filmed the footage.
Kurosawa, who has studied bears for around 20 years, said this year’s animals appear noticeably larger than usual.
“This year, many of the bears on camera look extremely fat,” Kurosawa said. “They are huge, with very round backsides. It makes you wonder what they have been eating.”
Reports of giant bears have continued across Hokkaido. In Tomamae, northern Hokkaido, a bear measuring 2.2 meters in length and weighing 330 kilograms was trapped and killed in April.
Experts say the bears’ massive size may be linked to access to calorie-rich crops before hibernation.
“Compared to just before hibernation, bears generally lose around 30% of their body weight over winter,” said Yoshikazu Sato, a professor at Rakuno Gakuen University who specializes in bear ecology. “Even a bear weighing over 400 kilograms before hibernation would not be unusual. The most likely explanation is that it consumed large amounts of corn grown as livestock feed.”
Sato warned that larger bears require greater amounts of food, increasing the likelihood they may return to farmland and populated areas.
“Compared with smaller bears, large bears need to eat much more,” Sato said. “If corn is more attractive to them than nuts and other food in the mountains, they will continue coming into fields.”
Authorities are urging residents to strengthen measures such as proper garbage management and the use of electric fencing to prevent bears from approaching populated areas.
Source: 北海道ニュースUHB
AloJapan.com