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Elderly man attacked by bear in Yamanashi

24 Comments

Police said Thursday that an elderly man was attacked by a bear in Kofu, Yamanashi Prefecture.

The man, in his 60s, told police he had gone to his rice field to check the water levels at around 5 p.m. on Wednesday, when he was attacked by an Asian black bear measuring around a meter in length, Fuji TV reported. The man's head and face were injured in the attack, but he was able to escape and return to his home at which point he called an ambulance.

Doctors say his injuries were not severe and police are calling on local people to be on the lookout for the animal. Hunters have also been enlisted in case the bear needs to be put down.

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24 Comments
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PLEASE DO NOT KILL THE BEAR, please drug it and move it elsewhere!

10 ( +11 / -1 )

I remember reading how one elderly did a over-the-shoulder judo throw on one bear and one granny punched one in the nose. Japanese countryside grows some tough geezers.

Bears are not generally aggressive. It was probably just looking for food and got surprised by the farmer. It has probably mozied on back to the mountains by now.

It's not good when big animals get surprised like that. I think I'll get a few of those bells elderly hikers usually attach to their backpacks. And run hard and fast if I even see cubs ('cause mama ain't far behind).

5 ( +6 / -1 )

@gogogo expect the bear to be shot as it ignored "bears are not allowed to leave the mountain" sign

4 ( +4 / -0 )

Hunters have also been enlisted in case the bear needs to be put down.

Why not:

Vets have been enlisted to tranquilize the bear in case it returns and needs to be relocated.

IMHO the true compassion of any society can easily be observed by the way it treats animals..

4 ( +5 / -1 )

in case the bear needs to be put down.

Put down where? It's killing; let's call it killing, even if it's necessary killing.

0 ( +2 / -2 )

Bears usually sense the human's presence way before the human spots them, and usually avoid conflict by retreating. This one must have been surprised, wounded or very hungry to attack like this. Japan does have problems with overpopulation, less with habitat occupation (at 80% of the land is not habitable anyway)

3 ( +3 / -0 )

5 in the afternoon sounds like a very unusual time to find a bear in the open, what with the sun still standing high, thought at first it was 5 in the morning...

gaijin techie: bells do help, everyone who lives in a summer home around Karuizawa has at least one per person because bears do come close to the houses. Once saw a map of a group that is tracking bears and it was kind of scary to look at, even though most of the movements where at night...

0 ( +0 / -0 )

Bear was surprised? And the farmer was not surprised? I don't know if there is a need to kill the animal, but if it posses even a slight risk, it should be killed. Everybody talks about safety precautions, and this incident also requires safety precautions. First people, then any animals.

-5 ( +0 / -5 )

Don't kill the poor bear!! Relocate it somewhere deeper into the forest!!

3 ( +3 / -0 )

ur lucky u should be dead

0 ( +0 / -0 )

One meter? That's just three feet. Not a big bear. Leave it alone. Farmer: wear a freaking bell.

-2 ( +0 / -2 )

gogogo:

PLEASE DO NOT KILL THE BEAR, please drug it and move it elsewhere!

You would think, right?

TokyoKawasaki:

IMHO the true compassion of any society can easily be observed by the way it treats animals..

Ditto...

1 ( +1 / -0 )

It is funny. In the States we have guns. Can't stand the idea, but it it is true. Anyway, in most cases they try to shot the animals with a tranquilizer. But here in Japan, where most aren't allowed to have guns, in cases like this, there first instinct is to shot it. They don't get chances to use their guns most of the time, so when something like this happens they jump at the chance. Kind of strange, huh.

2 ( +2 / -0 )

@Zybster Sorry, I REALLY have to strongly disagree. There is no point in shooting the animal. Just relocate it. People are not the first concern only. Life is life and should be cherished, from the smallest insect to the most dangerous and in many cases the most despicable of animals, HUMANS!!

0 ( +1 / -1 )

1 meter is kind of small. I have bears and wolves in my properties (I live in countryside) and when I venture into the woods, I just make a lot of noise. Most bears will just run away. I think he was just too quiet and startle the bear.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

Tomorrow's unfortunate headline: "Bear killed by elderly men."

0 ( +1 / -1 )

The key is if the bear initiated the attack or was just reacting in surprise. If a one meter bear attacked a 1.6 to 2 meter human on purpose, then there is something wrong with the bear and it needs to be killed.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

@Fadamor. Oh, so should we just go ask the bear? Maybe give him a polygraph test. How are we gonna know if it was intentional or not. LOL

1 ( +1 / -0 )

If the bear wasn't surprised, then the attack was an intentional attack on a larger animal. That doesn't normally happen unless provoked in some manner (like the farmer yelling and trying to shoo the bear away while advancing on the bear.)

-1 ( +0 / -1 )

ZybsterMAY. 17, 2012 - 06:56PM JST

Bear was surprised? And the farmer was not surprised? I don't know if there is a need to kill the animal, but if it posses even a slight risk, it should be killed. Everybody talks about safety precautions, and this incident also requires safety precautions. First people, then any animals.

Talking about Neanderthals with superiority complex... LOL

0 ( +0 / -0 )

i would prefer they tranq it and relocate it to an area with little or no people to prevent a reoccurance.

its better than killing the thing.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

Please kill the bear!!! ASAP

-1 ( +1 / -2 )

Ah, how wonderful. Neanderthal logic at work.

-1 ( +0 / -1 )

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