Cyclist attacked by bear in Fukushima Prefecture

After years without human habitation…

@sakurasuki

Correct me if I’m wrong, but I don’t believe Koriyama was a restricted zone. It’s a good 70km from the nuclear plant.

They are so smart and cute. And vegetarian

@Rodney

Perhaps I misunderstood your comment, but it is my understanding that all bears are omnivores which means they eat both meat and plants.

From my days in the wilds of Nagano Alps, bears should be given a wide berth.

When encountering bears it is best to ring the bell on the bicycle as this lets the bear stand aside to let the cyclist pass

Bear spray works a lot better than a jingle bell. Even better stand up, wave your arms, make lots of noises (good time to growl really loud, no seriously) and throw rocks at the bear. From experience throwing rocks and loud noises works.

If you are going to spend time in bear country bring bear spray.

Some of the first Westerners opened up the hills and mountains for hiking, a new pastime for Japanese people. There are many reasons, however, why Japanese traditionally avoided such areas, but dressed appropriately when called to go up there. Nature here is not benign as in the UK for example, but full of potentially nasty surprises, and innocence/ignorance will not protect you.

The only 100% rule we can make about bears here is that they are quick, strong, and unpredictable, so 'ting-a-ling' announce your presence, and give them respect and a wide berth. They can be found from Hokkaido to Kyushu.

fatrainfallingintheforestToday  07:50 pm JST

Is the bear OK?

Sadly if I know Japan the bear will definitely NOT be ok

Bears often eat fish, so they are not vegetarian.

Bears are omnivores and opportunistic feeders. They will eat anything edible, plant, animal or fish, alive or dead. They are big and scary enough to run most other predators off their kill and make a meal of it.

Bears often eat fish, so they are not vegetarian.

Lots of government money and propaganda at the moment encouraging people to ditch their cars and switch to 'active travel'. Useless for the elderly and infirm, for most shopping, for any distance, and the number of cyclists getting creamed by cars and trucks is going through the roof. In Japan, I guess you can add bears to the list of hazards.

There are folk in Japan who follow up bear sightings, dart or trap/sedate them, and release them in areas away from habitation. They could use more funding.

Damn! Those bears are extremely aggressive, aren’t they?

There are folk in Japan who follow up bear sightings, dart or trap/sedate them, and release them in areas away from habitation. 

There are also folk in japan who eat bears and sell their meat in vending machines as reported a few weeks ago.

When encountering bears it is best to ring the bell on the bicycle as this lets the bear stand aside to let the cyclist pass

People, stay away from their territory and everyone is Happy.

when the bear came out of the woods 

They probably disturbed the bear when he was "doing his business". No wonder he was angry.

My cars have been smashed twice by deer, but I have never seen a bear although there are two about 3-5km from my house. I want to see them. They are so smart and cute. And vegetarian

After years without human habitation bears population will grow more and more. At least now they will have less concern about radiation in that place.