An 84-year-old man was seriously injured after being attacked by a bear. Apple field in Akita

In the early morning of October 26th, an 84-year-old man was attacked by a bear in an apple field behind his house in a village in the mountains of Anifukage, Kitaakita City, Akita Prefecture, and was seriously injured, including breaking his jawbone.

According to the Kitaakita police station, bears had frequently been feeding on the apple fields behind the man's house, so when they went to check on the traps they had set, they found a cub about 80 centimeters long hanging on them. . Immediately after that, he was attacked by a bear that appeared from the cedar forest and was said to be his parent, injuring his face and neck. It does not appear to be life-threatening.

In the area where the man was injured this time, there were reports of bear sightings and damage to crops, so the city received permission from the prefecture on the 2nd of last month to set up cages, and so far six bears have been captured. . No bears have been found that attacked the man, and police and city officials are urging residents to be cautious.

According to the Akita Prefectural Government's Nature Conservation Division, there were 121 sightings this month as of October 24, far exceeding the average of the past 10 years (21). There have been 17 casualties (18 people) since the beginning of this year. On October 7, there was one incident at a farm in Kazuno City, and another casualty occurred on October 25.

This year's crop of nuts such as beech and oak, which bears feed on, has been poor, and it is expected that they will continue to appear around human settlements in the future. In response, Akita Prefecture announced on October 27 that it will extend the black bear infestation warning issued until the end of this month for the entire prefecture until December 20. This is the third extension following July and August.