Overview
- An experienced, licensed hunter patrolling farmland was seriously injured by a brown bear on July 17 and was taken to a hospital with wounds to both arms and the back of his head.
- Local reports say the hunter fought back during the struggle, reportedly poking the bear in the eye and then fatally shooting it at close range.
- Village staff and members of local hunting associations inspected the site early on July 18 and found a dead brown bear believed to be the one that attacked the hunter.
- Hokkaido prefecture issued a bear advisory covering Sarabetsu and neighboring Nakasatsunai on July 17 and lifted the notice on the morning of July 18 after field checks.
- The incident is the second bear-caused human injury in Hokkaido this year and has increased local patrols and resident concern in forest-edge farming areas where seasonal bear encounters are common.