Overview

• A resident reported a bear in a tree at about 2:15 p.m., and a city-contracted hunter shot the animal at around 3:25 p.m. on police instruction.
• The incident occurred in Maruyama Nishimachi 3-chome about 500 meters south of Maruyama Zoo in a neighborhood with facilities such as an elder care home and a post office.
• Officials identified the animal as a male cub about 75 centimeters long, estimated to be zero years old, found in a patch of woodland surrounded by houses.
• Authorities say the bear is likely the same one reported multiple times in the area earlier that morning, and there were no sightings of an adult bear nearby.
• Sapporo City urged nearby residents to avoid nonessential outings during nighttime and early morning hours following the incident.