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Sapporo Euthanizes One Brown Bear as Problem Bears Appear Across Hokkaido and Tōhoku

Officials say the removal reflects a shift to active control to reduce attacks during the bears' June–August breeding and foraging season.

Overview

  • Sapporo authorities trapped and euthanized one brown bear that had been seen intermittently near the Hitsujigaoka area and is believed to be the same animal recorded since early May.
  • City cameras recorded a separate bear in the Toyohira/Hitsujigaoka area the night before the euthanasia and that second individual remains under surveillance.
  • Police in Sendai reported multiple sightings of a roughly one‑metre bear in residential Aoba Ward and patrolled school and park areas after public calls to 110.
  • In Fukushima, the bear that attacked four people and prompted emergency shooting escaped containment and has been sighted repeatedly in nearby fields and roads, keeping local authorities on high alert.
  • Officials warn that June–August is the breeding and foraging season when male bears roam widely, they advise avoiding certain forest roads, and the Hokkaido Forest Management Bureau cautions that foraging in national forest may carry legal risks.