A couple in their 80s was attacked and seriously hurt by a bear outside their home in northeastern Japan on Wednesday, but the wounds inflicted were not life threatening, local police said.
The attacks came amid a recent rise in assaults by the animals.
The wife was taking out the trash from her home in Aizuwakamatsu, Fukushima Prefecture, at around 7:30 a.m. when she was attacked by the bear and sustained wounds to her face. The women's husband was mauled around his neck when he came out to check on her after hearing her shout "Bear!" the police said.
The animal measured about one meter long and ran into the nearby woods. Neighbors notified the police of the assault, who then urged nearby residents to exercise caution.
A record nine people have already been killed by bears in the country since April of this fiscal year, as attacks have surged, especially on Hokkaido, the northernmost main island, and in northeastern Japan.
"Please continue to be on the alert and pay attention to information from local authorities," Chief Cabinet Secretary Minoru Kihara said at a press conference in Tokyo the same day.
He also encouraged municipalities across the country to take advantage of new rules on killing bears that intrude into populated areas, which were relaxed in September to allow local authorities to authorize "emergency shootings."
© KYODO
9 Comments
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nandakandamanda
Too many of these attacks now…
Lifer
It's a wake-up call.
Rural areas require support and business reinvigorating to attract young families back home.
Ranger_Miffy2
Bring back the wolves.
kaimycahl
I say allow people to have shot guns to protect themselves when out in their yards NOT HAND GUNS. Especially in the areas where the people are most vulnerable to such attacks. Perhaps have a citizen patrol where home owners rotate as designated certified watch commanders to cover certain area in their community.
nandakandamanda
Way back in the past villagers as a group would probably have had various means to deal with marauding bear.
masugomi
How many is okay?
Dave Fair
Ranger_Miffy2Oct. 22 07:05 pm JST
to do what, hunt farmers cattle and poultry cause they certainly don't hunt bear!
MarkX
I can't believe that there are a large number of people who get angry when officials are called to put down a bear that attacked people. They would like it tranquilized and captured. But then what do you do? Where do you put it? This is not like North America where you can relocate the bear thousands of kilometers away.
OssanAmerica
Actually there are plenty of places in Japan to which where the bears could be transported. But it is a far more costly operation than exterminatation, which is the normal procedure for bears that have attacked humans in most countries including the US and Canada. Once a bear has attacked a human, which increases the risk of repeat behavior, public safety becomes the priority.