Today (4th), a suspected wild bear attack on a person was reported in Kitakami, Iwate Prefecture, Japan. An 81-year-old woman was found lying in a pool of blood in the living room of her home. She had multiple claw marks from wild animals, and there were a lot of animal hair and footprints in the house. The local police initially determined that a wild bear broke into the house and attacked the person to death.
According to NHK, 81-year-old woman Takahashi Naoko has lived alone in a house in Yamaguchi, Wakamachi, Kitakami, Iwate Prefecture for a long time. At around 7:30 a.m. local time on the 4th (6:30 a.m. Taiwan time), Takahashi Naoko’s son came to visit because he could not contact his mother, but found his mother lying in the living room of the house with multiple injuries, but it was suspected that she had already died.
After the police and the rescuers arrived at the scene, they found that the injuries on the body were unusual. Ms. Takahashi had multiple claw marks from wild animals, and there were a lot of animal hair and footprints in the house. In this regard, the Kitakami Station of the Iwate Prefectural Police confirmed to the media: “Judging from the shape of the wound and the evidence at the scene, it is very likely that an Asian black bear broke into the house and committed the crime.” And since there were no signs of damage to the doors and windows of the building at the scene, it is not ruled out that the bear sneaked in from an entrance that was never closed.
It is understood that the crime scene is located about 900 meters south of Yokogawame Station on the JR Kitakami Line, which is a mixed area of fields and residential houses. However, the Kitakami City Government pointed out that since last month, there have been many reports of bears breaking into residential houses and warehouses in the surrounding areas to find food. The city government established a crisis response headquarters at noon on the 4th. In addition to launching patrols and broadcasting warnings throughout the area, it also set up traps in the surrounding area and required local elementary and middle schools to strengthen student pick-up and outdoor activity control.
