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A bear was trapped and killed Monday after a two-day stay in a northeastern Japan supermarket, police said, ending an incident in which the animal attacked a male employee and dined out in the store's meat section.
The approximately 1-meter-long bear was finally confirmed as captured at the store in Akita Prefecture around 8:10 a.m., some four hours after a sensor on one of the box traps was triggered.
Authorities used honey, apples and bread in traps set up in two locations, with the bear caught in one placed in a storage area at the rear of the store.
A camera-equipped drone was used in unsuccessful attempts to locate the bear, which took full advantage of its access to the meat section during its supermarket spree.
The bear entered the supermarket Saturday morning when some 20 staff were preparing for the start of the day's operations. The 47-year-old male employee attacked by the animal sustained non-life-threatening facial and other injuries, the police said.
The store, located in the prefectural capital of Akita, is about 1 kilometer from JR Tsuchizaki Station. It had not yet opened to customers when the bear entered.
© KYODO
12 Comments
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robert maes
Why kill him ?
two days to capture a small bear when you kill him anyway. For no reason.
he was just being a bear.
Fighto!
Lucky no one was killed during the 2-day siege. It is regrettable the bear had to be shot dead, however.
Lindsay
Was it killed humanly or did half a dozen cops empty their guns into it? Poor thing.
Jay
So, a bear - a wild animal - wanders into a store, confused, scared, and looking for food, and instead of re-homing or tranquilizing it, the pencil-necked authorities decide straight-up execution is the answer? Great job, City Hall. In any truly civilized society, they'd show compassion, relocate the creature, and invest in solutions to prevent this from happening again, not just ruthlessly kill it. If kindness toward animals reflects a society's values, this decision screams authoritarian apathy. Maybe instead of setting death traps, we could consider addressing why the bear was driven into human spaces to begin with - oh wait, that would require effort and accountability.
BB
Yeah, really, a 1 meter bear? Surely such a bear could be moved somewhere safe.
iron man
Lindsay, very valid question. If it was box trapped, it could be 'injected' FIGHTO why do you jump to a shot solution, tho no mention of vet attendance. Some months ago I saw an article about a certain meat being sold in vending machines in... a winter destination. At least the animal appears to have enjoyed a enjoyable last meal. no quip. It was a wild animal, safety first.
Tokyo Guy
“The greatness of a nation and its moral progress can be judged by the way its animals are treated.” I've always liked that quote.
I mean it's evident that the bear had to be removed from the supermarket. That goes without saying.
It's what happens next that tells you about the culture of the place.
Then again, humans can't stop killing other humans, so it's a bit much to expect them to behave any better towards the other members of the animal kingdom.
I got into a pretty intense debate with someone on here yesterday about how I consider humans to be a scourge on the planet, and this is one reason why.
garypen
I never understand why they always kill the bear here, in a country with so many bear sightings. You'd think that in a country with so many bears and wildlife, there would be wildlife experts with the knowledge and skill to deal with stuff like this.
Tokyo Guy
So, a bear - a wild animal - wanders into a store, confused, scared, and looking for food, and instead of re-homing or tranquilizing it, the pencil-necked authorities decide straight-up execution is the answer? Great job, City Hall. In any truly civilized society, they'd show compassion, relocate the creature, and invest in solutions to prevent this from happening again, not just ruthlessly kill it. If kindness toward animals reflects a society's values, this decision screams authoritarian apathy. Maybe instead of setting death traps, we could consider addressing why the bear was driven into human spaces to begin with - oh wait, that would require effort and accountability.
Very well said.
Geeter Mckluskie
If that society is Hindu perhaps. Most societies either hunt or raise animals for slaughter to be eaten. Those societies value protein.
Tokyo Guy
If that society is Hindu perhaps. Most societies either hunt or raise animals for slaughter to be eaten. Those societies value protein.
This is a fair comment. Just to make a permanent enemy of certain people on here, not only am I a registered democrat from one of those awful coastal elite states, but I'm also a vegetarian, and I often find it odd that people will say how horrible it is that the bear was killed (which I agree with) and then pop out to KFC or McDonalds without once thinking about the double standard.
Still, I guess it's a case of some sense of compassion is better than none at all.
Gaijinjland
Look at what happens to wild bears in Alaska that encroach on populated areas. Same thing. Nothing remotely unique to Japan.
Jay
I'm the complete opposite of all those things, but while we may stand on opposite ends of the spectrum, this just demonstrates that kindness is a principle that transcends politics and culture. Perhaps this small overlap in values shows we're all not so hopelessly divided after all. If more discussions could spark moments like this, these forums - and the world - might just become a little happier.