Photo/Illutration Brown bears are spotted on a road in Shari, Hokkaido, on May 19, 2022. (Kazuyoshi Sako)

Bear attacks on humans are increasing at an unprecedented rate, with 54 incidents reported nationwide in the four months to July, according to the environment ministry.

The figure so far is the highest since record keeping started in fiscal 2007, ministry officials reported on Sept. 5 at a meeting with relevant government bodies.

The ministry warned that an expected poor harvest of acorns this fall could prompt more bears to wander into human settlements in search of food.

By month, May and July saw the highest number of cases at 17 each, followed by June with 16 and April with four. A total of 56 people were injured in the 54 incidents and one of them died.

By prefecture, Iwate topped the list with 15 incidents, followed by Akita with nine and Fukushima with seven.

Many of the victims were picking edible wild plants in the woods when they were attacked.

Previously, fiscal 2010 saw the highest number of annual cases at 145, with 37 of them occurring by July.

Ministry officials urge residents and tourists in the areas to carry bear bells and stay fully alert in places with poor visibility, where a sudden encounter with a bear can happen.

Hokkaido government officials also joined the Sept. 5 meeting to report that they had finally culled a long-hunted destructive brown bear in July.

The bear, named OSO18, has attacked 66 cattle since 2019. The animal targeted ranches that were too large to fully protect with electric fences, the officials said. It took hunters years to take down the highly cautious bear.

Hokkaido officials also reported an increasing number of “urban bears,” which are not intimidated by traffic or street lights, being spotted in the region's capital of Sapporo.

They also said bear hunters are facing a shortage of bullets for their rifles due to the rising price of copper and Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

Related News