Hokkaido issues highest-level bear warning for first time after fatal attack

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The highest level of a three-stage alert is issued when a bear attacks humans in an urban area or its vicinity.

PHOTO ILLUSTRATION: UNSPLASH

Hokkaido on July 12 issued a strong warning of brown bears in one of its towns after a fatal attack on a newspaper deliveryman there, making it the first time that the highest level of alert has been sent out in the northern prefecture.

The warning, affecting the town of Fukushima in south-western Hokkaido, is expected to be effective for a month through Aug 11.

The highest level of a three-stage alert is issued when a bear attacks a human in an urban area or its vicinity.

The measure was taken after a 52-year-old man, who was delivering newspapers, was found dead in the bushes in the early hours of July 12, with wounds believed to have been caused by a bear.

The man was apparently attacked near the entrance of a house and then dragged into the bushes, according to an investigative source. His body had claw marks all over and bites mainly on his abdomen.

The bear was 1m to 1.5m in body length and did not run away even when a witness shouted. Local hunters and police are searching for it to kill it.

Under the brown bear warning, which was issued for the first time since the inception of such an alert system in May 2022, the local authorities are calling on residents and visitors to be careful, especially during night-time outings, and not to leave food waste outside