2 days in store

Japan: Bear lured out of supermarket with honey trap

(Bild: Olivier MORIN)

A bear that had been on the rampage in a Japanese supermarket for two days was lured out and captured on Monday by sweet treats. A trap containing "rice bran, bananas, apples and bread, all coated with honey" had lured the animal to the back of the store, an Akita city official said. 

The bear had injured a 47-year-old man in the supermarket in the head early on Saturday morning and devastated the meat department, the Asahi Shimbun newspaper reported.

Bear attacks on the rise in Japan
According to the police, the captured animal is to be killed. In Japan, six people were killed by bear attacks within twelve months in 2023/24, twice as many as in the same period last year. More than 9,000 bears were killed during this period. Since the end of March alone, three people have been killed by bears in Japan, including an elderly woman who was attacked in her garden and a fisherman.

Pictures of the animal attack: 

Climate change exacerbates problem
Japan is home to brown bears, among others, which weigh up to half a ton and are native to the northern main island of Hokkaido. According to experts, the population decline in rural areas of Japan is causing hungry bears to move closer to villages and towns. Climate change is also affecting the omnivores' food supply and their hibernation periods.