'Extremely intelligent' bear on the run after brutally attacking 4 people

Police in Japan are searching for an “extremely intelligent” bear which attacked four people after apparently evading capture by unlocking a window.

Police and fire department officials rushed to the Sasakino district of Fukushima in northeastern Japan after receiving an emergency call from the Fukushima Steel Works reporting bear attacks on two employees earlier this week.

Security camera footage showed a black bear appearing and chasing an employee near the entrance. A man in his 20s tried to flee, but the bear threw him to the ground. It then moved into the compound and injured a second male employee in his 60s.

The bear later injured a third person, a male employee in his 60s, at a separate company. A woman in her 80s who lives in the neighbourhood was also attacked and injured, the Fukushima City Fire Department said.

The three men sustained minor injuries and the woman had moderate injuries but none were considered life-threatening, the fire department said. The bear attack has rekindled last year’s nationwide fear that led to Japan’s army being dispatched to the northern prefecture of Akita where more than 60 people were attacked by bears, with four killed.

The Japanese government in March estimated the overall bear population at around 57,800. Officials have adopted a road map of bear population management, calling for systematic culling. Under the plan, the number of bear control staff will triple to 2,500 within five years, while the number of bear traps will double.

Bear sightings were also reported recently in Tokyo’s western suburbs, including the hiking area of Okutama. Park officials have set up additional traps and launched bear alerts on social media.

The government has stepped up a public awareness campaign, urging hikers and mushroom hunters to check notifications about bear sightings and avoid outdoor activity in the early morning and evening when bears are active.

An environment ministry manual advises that anyone encountering a bear should not panic, move slowly and avoid turning around and running. As a last resort, the manual says anyone attacked should turn face down, ball up and cover their neck.

“The point is to save yourself from a fatal wound,” according to the manual.