Bear enters house, apparently opens fridge for food in northeastern Japan
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A resident found a bear in his kitchen after investigating a noise on the night of July 13.
PHOTO: REUTERS
- A bear broke into an elderly resident's kitchen in Shizukuishi, Japan, and opened the fridge looking for food, scattering items on the floor.
- Another bear repeatedly visited a nearby home targeting cat food and pickles, with no injuries reported.
- Bear sightings have increased due to hot weather, causing temporary closures like hiking trails on Mt. Rausu in Hokkaido.
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SHIZUKUISHI, Japan – A bear broke into the kitchen of an elderly resident in northeastern Japan and apparently opened a refrigerator in search of food, police said on July 14, adding to a series of bear encounters that have raised the alarm among residents.
Mitsuo Matsubara, an 87-year-old resident of Shizukuishi, Iwate Prefecture, found a bear in his kitchen after investigating a noise on the night of July 13. His wife called emergency services.
The police believe the bear entered and later left the house through a back door after pulling items from the refrigerator, which were later found scattered across the floor.
In a related incident in the same town, a bear made four unwanted visits to the home of Mitsuo Yamamoto, 70, in the week through July 11, targeting cat food and pickles, the police said. No one was injured.
A series of bear sightings has been reported recently as hot weather persists in various parts of Japan.
A brown bear encounter prompted the emergency closure of hiking trails on Mt. Rausu in Hokkaido, northern Japan, last Thursday, but the 1,660-meter mountain will reopen to climbers on Thursday, local authorities said. KYODO NEWS