Hiker found dead after bear attack in mountain in Japan
The man and a friend were descending 5,450-foot-tall Mount Rausu on the Shiretoko Peninsula.
Aug. 15 (UPI) -- A 26-year-old man was found dead on a mountain of Japan's northernmost island on Friday, one day after the hiker was reported missing in a brown bear attack.
The body was found in eastern Hokkaido, the Asahi Shimbun reported. Police said rescuers found his shirt with bloodstains earlier in the day. Hokkaido, which is bordered by the Sea of Japan, the Sea of Okhotsk and the Pacific Ocean, is the second largest, but least developed, of Japan's four main islands.
The victim was identified as Sota Keisuke, a company employee from Tokyo's Sumida Ward, NHK reported.
The man and a friend, also in his 20s, were descending the 5,450-foot-tall Mount Rausu on the Shiretoko Peninsula, when a bear approached.
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The friend said the man was walking ahead of him.
"He was trying to fend off the bear but was dragged into the forest," NHK quoted the man.
Fearing the bear dragged his friend away, he called the police.
Authorities then closed the trail.
Seventy-one people were airlifted out of the area.
A man's body was found on Friday morning, and his identity was confirmed at 3:20 p.m.
Hunters searching for the man shot and killed three brown bears at 1 p.m. Friday in the area where the body was later found.
On Sunday, another hiker was followed by a bear. A 68-year-old climber from Shikoku said he encountered the bear while hiking down the mountain. He said he was about 16 feet from an adult bear with two cubs.
He said he retreated with other hikers, but the bears returned to the trail and followed them uphill. When they reached the entrance to the Osawa area, they disappeared.
"It was the first time I encountered a bear on a hiking trail," said the man, who has climbed mountains in Japan and elsewhere, told The Asahi Shimbun. "Although they didn't show any signs of attacking, I felt tense."
Fifty-five people have been attacked by bears in Japan between April and July this year, according to the Environmental Ministry by the Japan Times.
Mount Rasau has a high population density of brown bears. The mountain was given World Heritage Status in 2005. The mountains straddle Rausu and Shari towns.
If people encounter a bear, the Hokkaido Prefectural Government advised them to slowly and quietly step backward.
"Don't throw rocks or shout and run way since it may provoke the bear," it said on its website.
On the other hand, if the bear is charging, you might consider jumping, shouting very loudly, picking up a good-sized rock, and if the bear is still charging try to hit him on the nose with the rock. And pray!
The Guardian reported that experts said attacks increased last year because of the scarcity of acorns and other staples. In addition, bears have traveled farther because of development.
But incidents dropped in March as food became more plentiful
In April, the government allowed bears to be shot in urban areas.
