SAPPORO--Shinichiro Ando, the victim of a vicious bear attack a few years ago, says insufficient support measures have exacerbated the pain he continues to suffer.

Human encounters with bears have been increasing for years around Japan, leading to sometimes fatal maulings.

“Anyone can suddenly become a victim,” Ando, 47, said.

Despite the rise in incidents, he said public support mechanisms for bear-attack victims fail to adequately cover the physical, mental and financial damage they experience.

Ando also said measures to warn people and prevent attacks need improvement.

BROWN BEAR RAMPAGE

Ando was one of four individuals mauled by a brown bear in a residential area of Sapporo’s Higashi Ward on June 18, 2021.

Although bear sightings are not rare in the Hokkaido capital, the animals are usually discovered near forests and mountains in Minami Ward and Nishi Ward.

The incident in 2021 was the first time since 1878 for a resident of Higashi Ward to be injured in a bear attack.

Just past 7 a.m. on that day, Ando, an employee of dried marine product maker and seller Fujitoya Co., was walking toward Shindo-Higashi Station on the Toho Subway Line.

Although he usually drove to work, Ando decided to take the Sapporo city subway that day because he had a business trip.

Ando noticed a cluster of police cars parked around a mall, but he simply assumed “an incident or something occurred.” He kept walking, not paying attention to what might be going on.

He was unaware that several sightings of a 4-year-old male brown bear weighing 158 kilograms had been reported in the neighborhood. It measured 161 centimeters from nose to tail.

About 150 meters from the station, Ando felt “something” smash into his back with a “jarring” shock.

He didn’t hear or smell anything before the impact, so he immediately assumed it was an automobile.

But his body continued to be shaken violently, and Ando suspected he was being mugged.

As he tried to stand up to complain, an acute pain ran through his arm as if he was being repeatedly stabbed by a sharpened pencil. When he instinctively attempted to shield his head, he came face to face with the bear.

“I realized that I was being bitten,” Ando recalled.

Crying out for help, Ando curled up into a defensive position. Thinking he “may be killed in this way,” Ando had difficulty breathing, like he had just completed a sprint.

The bear repeatedly sank its fangs into Ando’s limbs before finally letting him go.

The attack likely lasted for 20 to 30 seconds, but it felt twice as long for Ando.

The bear left the injured Ando and went on to attack and injure a Self-Defense Forces member. The beast was later killed by hunters.

LIFE CHANGED DRAMATICALY

The bear broke six of Ando’s ribs and punctured a lung. His wounds required 140 stitches.

Ando spent six months undergoing hospital treatment and rehabilitation before returning to work.

Scars remain all over his body. A severe ache in his knee makes it difficult for Ando to smoothly go up and down stairs.

The bear-attack victim also says he wakes up in pain many times late at night.

Last year, Ando underwent surgery to have a device implanted for a specialized treatment to relieve pain with electricity.

He also got his injuries recognized as a work-related accident.

Under national health insurance, Ando must still pay for 30 percent of treatment costs not covered by the occupational compensation.

He also took advantage of a dedicated reimbursement framework for especially expensive medical care.

But all these measures were not enough to alleviate his heavy economic burden.

Ando said comprehensive public support mechanisms have been established for people affected by natural disasters and crimes. He believes bear-attack victims should receive the same measures.

Another issue involves his psychological trauma.

Ando is so haunted by the attack that he rarely ventures out by himself at night. He also found it difficult to walk 100 meters alone from his home to a parking space.

He decided to relocate in an attempt to dispel his anxieties.

ENHANCE WARNING DISSEMINATION

Born and raised in Higashi Ward, Ando had never thought he was at risk of a bear attack so close to his residence. This is the very reason Ando is calling for stronger countermeasures.

“Anyone can suddenly become a brown bear victim at any time,” Ando said. “I expect authorities to take thorough steps to prevent bears from entering urban areas. They should also ramp up efforts to more effectively convey information to residents.”

When Ando and the others were attacked, Sapporo city’s means of spreading bear sighting information was limited to contacting officials at local community centers, schools and similar establishments by phone or email.

Following the rampage, the municipal government embarked on a new alarm sharing network.

The city currently spreads information about brown bear sightings via its official account on the Line messaging app.

Regional risks are classified into the three categories of “caution,” “alert” and “emergency,” and citizens can check area-specific hazards.

Sapporo city has also been cooperating with neighboring municipalities to thwart bears from invading human settlements, such as installing cameras along potential intrusion points.

Ando feels there is still room for improvement.

He pointed out that data on bear sightings is accessible only to “registered service users” or “those actively seeking information themselves.”

“It would be too late if someone were victimized by a bear on another occasion,” Ando said. “A robust mechanism resembling the public earthquake alert messaging system should be put in place so that warnings will be sent to everyone’s smartphones in target regions in one go.”

Ando also noted that hordes of people visit Hokkaido in mid-summer.

“I would like tourists to take an interest in gathering information and stay alert, without regarding the problem as someone else’s,” he stressed. “My hope is that no one will face the same plight I experienced.”