Overview
- Police say the attack occurred around 8 a.m. on December 26 on a public road by Omoriyama Zoo in Akita City.
- The injured person is a male staff member in his 50s who had just parked and was walking toward the zoo office.
- The man sustained bites to his right shoulder and flank, was taken to a hospital, and was able to speak.
- Authorities determined the zoo’s bears were in their enclosures and are treating the attacker as a wild bear while investigating.
- Local reporting described the bear as roughly 80 centimeters long, and the incident comes during a period of frequent bear encounters in the region.