Bear Attacks Shock Residents in Akita Prefecture
Multiple people in Akita Prefecture experienced terrifying bear attacks on October 9, resulting in injuries and sending shockwaves through the local community. The incidents, which occurred in the peaceful neighborhoods near the mouth of the Omonogawa river, were described as unprecedented.
In the morning between 9 and 9:30 a.m., the local police received distressing calls reporting bear attacks in the Araya-Minamihamamachi and Araya-Kotobukimachi districts. The victims, a woman in her 70s and three men in their 60s, 70s, and 80s, were promptly taken to a hospital for treatment. While the extent of their injuries is not yet fully known, one person was observed bleeding from a head wound.
Eyewitnesses describe the bear responsible for the attacks as approximately 1 meter long. After the incidents, the bear managed to evade capture and is currently at large. Several residents in the area had previously encountered a bear matching the same description earlier that morning.
The shocking nature of the attacks has left residents shaken. Yukiko Sasaki, a homemaker who was walking her dog around 6 a.m., unexpectedly came across the 1-meter-long bear just 20 meters from her home. She expressed her surprise, saying, I never expected to bump into a bear in a residential district like here.
Shunsai Takayanagi, the chief priest of Shoheiji temple, also expressed his astonishment, stating that this is the first bear sighting he has experienced in the neighborhood, where encounters with Japanese serow occasionally occur. Feeling the need for increased safety measures, he emphasized the importance of taking countermeasures against bears, even in the city center.
Later in the afternoon, another bear attack occurred in Taiheizan Resort Park, approximately 17 kilometers away from the initial incident. A hunter was attacked by a bear in the park, sustaining non-fatal injuries to his head and hands. The hunter had fired at three bears, a parent and two cubs, who were spotted up a tree. Following the attack, the adult bear was shot and killed. Unfortunately, one of the cubs also succumbed to the same fate, while the other managed to escape.
On the same day, there were additional reports of bear encounters in different parts of the prefecture. In Kazuno, Akita Prefecture, a bear collided with a car on the Tohoku Expressway. Similarly, in Shizukuishi, Iwate Prefecture, a bear was struck by an Akita Shinkansen bullet train. Nearby in Kanazawa and Toyama, both located along the Sea of Japan, bears also attacked residents. An 84-year-old man in Kanazawa was clawed by a bear while walking in a park, resulting in injuries to his forehead and chest. In Toyama, a 79-year-old woman suffered injuries to her face when she was attacked by a bear in her garden.
These incidents add to the growing number of bear attacks nationwide, which have reached a record high. Experts warn that the scarcity of acorns, a staple in the bears’ diet, in the Tohoku region, including Akita Prefecture, could lead to an increase in bear sightings near human settlements during autumn.
Authorities and residents are urged to remain vigilant and take necessary precautions to ensure their safety. The unexpected nature of these bear attacks serves as a reminder of the potential risks faced by communities coexisting with wildlife.
