An “extremely intelligent” bear that injured four people in the north remains at large, after apparently unlatching a window while evading capture and turning on a water tap, officials said.
A record 13 people were killed by bears in Japan last year, and there has been a jump in sightings as the animals emerge hungry from hibernation.
After attacking four people at two factories in Fukushima on Tuesday, the bear took shelter inside one of the buildings, local media reported yesterday.
It dodged capture despite efforts by hunters and responders equipped with traps and anaesthetic guns, and escaped late Wednesday.
Fukushima city mayor Yuki Baba told reporters Thursday that evidence suggested the animal “unlocked the window on its own” to flee.
It is also believed the bear “turned on the water tap” to drink, he added, describing it as “extremely intelligent”.
“With the cooperation of hunters, police and firefighters, I believe we took all possible measures available to us to catch it,” Baba said.
“That we failed to achieve our goal despite our best efforts is extremely regrettable,” he said. — AFP
