Japan’s killer bears have developed a taste for HUMAN flesh and are attacking more people than ever before
- The number of people injured or killed by bears in Japan is higher than ever
- Experts believe this is due to a lack of food
After centuries of coexistence with humans, Japanese bears, which commonly eat plants and insects, have become feral and have killed and injured more people than ever.
According to the public broadcaster NHK, The number of bear attacks in Japan is increasing. A record number of 219 incidents took place in 2023, including six deaths.
Last May, a fisherman was feared to have been eaten by a bear after a human head and boots were discovered dangling from a bear’s mouth on the Japanese island of Hokkaido.
Last year, 54-year-old fisherman Toshihiro Nishikawa was dropped off at a remote lake fishing location in Horokanaion but did not return.
File image shows an adult female brown bear hunting salmon in Shiretoko Peninsula, Hokkaido
The number of people injured or killed in bear attacks in Japan in 2023 exceeded 200 for the first time
A boat operator providing transportation to Nishikawa at the lake reportedly witnessed a bear with fishing boots on its mouth that same day. The remains of a human head were later discovered near where the fisherman was last seen.
Although bears subsist mainly on vegetarian and insect diets, experts believe that last summer’s heavy rains, which were then followed by drought, have reduced insect populations and the harvest of fruit that bears feast on in the run-up to hibernation.
In April, Masato Fukuda was only slightly injured in his encounter with some bears on Thursday morning. He is pictured here speaking to Japanese TV channel NHK
As a result, they have started looking for alternative food sources, with experts speculating that they may have acquired a taste for meat.
Japanese authorities have urged people to remain vigilant in light of increasing bear attacks.
According to The guardJapan’s bear population is increasing, with a recent estimate putting the number of black bears at 44,000 – up from an estimated 15,000 in 2012. This does not include Hokkaido, where around 12,000 Ussuri brown bears are believed to live.
Conservationists have called for more efforts to improve bears’ natural habitats, while bear shooting has been heavily criticized.
Last month, Japanese media reported that a karate expert, 50 years old, managed to fend off a bear attack.
Masato Fukuda was only slightly injured during his encounter with some bears in April in the town of Nayoro, on the northern island of Hokkaido.
He was hiking to see a waterfall in the mountainous area of Nayoro around 10:30 a.m. when he chanced upon the two brown bears poking their faces out of the bushes, Japanese media reported.
The two bears chose the wrong person to mess with when they approached the 50-year-old, who was visiting the forest area from Toyota City.
One of them approached him – but unfortunately for the animal, Mr Fukuda had experience in the martial art of karate.
However, measures are being introduced to combat increasing bear attacks.
Toyama Prefecture, in central Japan, plans to file a lawsuit against an AI wear warning system Following the record number of attacks that left the animals struggling to find food, Fortune reported.
The pilot system will monitor live footage from government, municipal and private security cameras to identify bears in areas close to people. If successful, the program will be rolled out in other parts of Japan with large bear populations.