Hunters on Friday, June 18, shot dead a brown bear in a town in northern Japan, where it had injured four people and wreaked havoc.
The city of Sapporo tweeted that the animal had been "
exterminated
".
Local television said he was shot dead by hunters.
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Earlier today, local media had shown the bear leaping down a residential street, crossing a busy road and clawing at the doors of an army barracks, scaring away panicked servicemen.
A soldier was injured during the animal's trek through the city, which is due to host the Olympic marathon and athletic walking events in August.
Another victim was mutilated by the bear when he attacked her from behind, according to television footage.
The person was evacuated on a stretcher.
Closure of schools
The incident resulted in the closure of local schools and the cancellation of several flights to a small airport in the area, according to public television NHK. “
A total of four people, including a member of the Self-Defense Force (the Japanese Army), were attacked and injured by the brown bear. We express our sincere compassion to them,
”government spokesman Katsunobu Kato said. "
Sapporo city officials, the police of (the island of) Hokkaido (where Sapporo is located), a local hunting association and other concerned organizations
" coordinated "
their efforts to capture the brown bear. , or exterminate it if necessary
".
One of the injured is in his forties, a second in his seventies and a third in his eighties, according to NHK, which did not provide details on the fourth.
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Asian black bears are widely distributed in Japan, including on the country's main island, while brown bears occupy the island of Hokkaido in the north.
According to the Japanese Bears and Forests Society, bears living in forests are increasingly moving to areas inhabited by humans in search of food.
