By YOSUKE FUKUDOME/ Staff Writer
December 25, 2024 at 17:57 JST
A bear moves from the house it had been lounging in to a nearby shed in Kitakata, Fukushima Prefecture, on Dec. 24 before being knocked out with a tranquilizer dart and captured. (Provided by Fukushima prefectural police)
KITAKATA, Fukushima Prefecture—A man here was surprised by an uninvited visitor when he discovered a 90-centimeter bear rummaging for food in the living room of his rural home.
The animal was safely captured and returned to the mountains the next day.
“There is a bear in the living room,” came a call to the Atsushiokano residential police box of the Kitakata Police Station around 6:40 p.m. on Dec. 23.
When the Atsushiokano town resident, a man in his 60s who lives alone, returned home around 6:20 p.m. that day, he found the bear in his living room.
Its head was buried in his “kotatsu,” a heated table covered with a blanket, according to police.
The man quickly fled to the home of a neighbor—who then contacted the local hunting association—which then reported the incident to the residential police box.
Around 8 p.m., the man reportedly returned home to check on the bear and found it still inside, chowing down and scattering food everywhere.
Police kept watch around the home throughout the night and urged nearby residents to evacuate. No injuries were reported.
According to the city and police, around 11:30 a.m. on Dec. 24, members of the local hunting association attempted to drive the bear outside by using fireworks to create loud noises.
The bear went in and out of the house several times before finally moving to a nearby shed.
At 3:15 p.m., a veterinarian shot the bear with a tranquilizer dart, putting it to sleep.
After the bear was confirmed to be unconscious, it was reportedly taken to a remote mountain area and released shortly after 4:30 p.m.
A city official said, “Given its size of about 90 cm, it’s likely a young bear that couldn’t find a den and didn’t hibernate.”
The home is located in a rural area around 11 kilometers from JR Kitakata Station.
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