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A 50-year-old man has been admitted to hospital after bear attack In JapanFukushima Prefecture is the latest in a growing series of incidents that have spread panic across the country.
Local police gave this information The man was hit on the back of the head While roaming in Aizubange town on Thursday evening. He managed to escape to a nearby house and was taken to hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.
Earlier this week, another resident in his 80s was attacked in the same neighborhood.
Authorities have increased patrolling and urged residents to remain vigilant, as bear sightings and attacks are rising across northern Japan.
At least 100 people have been attacked by bears since April. Marking one of the worst years on recordFatalities have reached a record high, with the latest deaths bringing the nationwide death toll to 13.
Two-thirds of this year’s deaths have occurred in Akita and Iwate prefectures, where Japan’s military was deployed this week to help set up traps and conduct inspections following an urgent request from local governments overwhelmed by the incidents.
In Akita Prefecture, residents say that due to dwindling food sources before winter hibernation, animals are moving closer to homes and stores in deserted rural areas.
Japanese confectioner Keiji Minatoya, who was attacked by a bear in 2023, told Reuters news agency that he thinks authorities should be crueler to bears that no longer fear human settlements.
“The bears that attack have learned that humans are weak,” Mr Minatoya said.
“We quietly closed our eyes,” he said, staring at the building next to his shop in rural Kitakita, northern Japan, where he had unknowingly trapped the apex predator. “I thought my work was done.”
The bear pinned him down and mauled him, causing deep wounds to his face, bite marks on his arm and torso, and nearly mauled him before escaping. Emergency services airlifted Minatoya to the city of Akita, 60 km (37 mi) away, to save his life.
The disaster in 2023 is more than a terrible memory for Minatoya. She and her neighbors, most of whom are elderly, are living on the front lines of a rising wave of bear attacks.
Forest officials say large gardens and abandoned houses have given bears more space to hide and forage.
“The overgrown forests around empty houses make people uncomfortable,” forest official Kimitoshi Kishino told Reuters. He said local authorities struggle to vacate private properties without the owners’ consent.
The number of bear sightings in Akita has increased more than sixfold this year to more than 8,000, according to government data. Experts say the population of the Asian black bear, listed as a globally vulnerable species, has tripled since 2012, helped by hunting bans and an extended foraging season due to warmer winters.
As the scene grows around Kyoto and Tokyo, animals are also moving into the bustling cities.
Japan’s environment ministry said it was reviewing measures to manage bear populations and was urging people in high-risk areas to avoid pruning fruit trees, avoid leaving food waste outside and carry bells or noise-making devices when walking near forests.