Current:Home > NewsBear attack suspected after fisherman vanishes, human head found near lake in Japan-InfoLens
Bear attack suspected after fisherman vanishes, human head found near lake in Japan
View Date:2025-01-11 17:10:27
Authorities believe a man was mauled and decapitated by a bear in northern Japan after a human head was found near a lake, national media reported this week. An alert for brown bears was issued after the incident.
Police said a fisherman went missing at Lake Shumarinai in Japan's northernmost main island of Hokkaido, Japan's Kyodo news agency reported. Toshihiro Nishikawa, 54, reportedly went to fish by himself on the lake and a boat operator later saw a bear with waders — long rubber boots often worn by anglers — in its mouth.
Officials in the city of Horokanai launched a bear hunt and a member of the search group killed a bear Monday afternoon, Kyodo reported. A human head was also found during the search and authorities were working to confirm whether the remains belong to Nishikawa.
Police say bear sightings are on the rise this year in Hokkaido, according to public broadcaster NHK. Authorities had received 339 reports as of last Thursday -- 40 more than the same period last year, when bears were spotted a record 2,240 times.
Experts say there are likely many reasons for the uptick in human-bear encounters in the region.
"Perhaps the main one is that the bear population of Hokkaido has recovered after years of over-hunting and as there are simply fewer hunters now," Kevin Short, a naturalist and professor at Tokyo University of Information Studies, told the South China Morning Post. "The deer population has also recovered, which is a key food source, while there have also been efforts across the prefecture to restore natural habitats in woodlands and along rivers, all of which increases the bears' range."
Two people have been injured in bear attacks in Hokkaido so far in 2023, NHK said.
In 2021, a wild brown bear in Hokkaido injured four people and disrupted flights at an airport before being shot and killed.
Brown bears roam mainly in forests, but experts say they have been increasingly spotted in inhabited areas looking for food, especially during warm weather. In 2020, a town plagued by wild bears in Hokkaido installed robotic wolves to howl at the animals and scare them off.
- In:
- Bear
- Japan
Stephen Smith is a senior editor for CBSNews.com.
veryGood! (11937)
Related
- See Blake Shelton and Gwen Stefani's Winning NFL Outing With Kids Zuma and Apollo
- Jerry Seinfeld Shares His Kids' Honest Thoughts About His Career in Rare Family Update
- House to vote on expanded definition of antisemitism amid growing campus protests
- Tesla lays off charging, new car and public policy teams in latest round of cuts
- Martha Stewart playfully pushes Drew Barrymore away in touchy interview
- India politician seeking reelection accused of making 3,000 sexual assault videos, using them for blackmail
- Get Free IT Cosmetics Skincare & Makeup, 65% Off Good American, $400 Off iRobot & More Deals
- Yankees' Juan Soto stares down Orioles pitcher after monstrous home run
- See Leonardo DiCaprio's Transformation From '90s Heartthrob to Esteemed Oscar Winner
- The Best Spring Jackets That Are Comfy, Cute, and Literally Go With Everything
Ranking
- As US Catholic bishops meet, Trump looms over their work on abortion and immigration
- Is Lyme disease curable? Here's what you should know about tick bites and symptoms.
- Employer of visiting nurse who was killed didn’t protect her and should be fined, safety agency says
- 'Dad' of Wally, the missing emotional support alligator, makes tearful plea for his return
- NFL Week 10 injury report: Live updates on active, inactive players for Sunday's games
- These are the most dangerous jobs in America
- 1 dead,14 injured after driver crashes into New Mexico store
- Why Melanie Lynskey Didn't Know She Was Engaged to Jason Ritter for 3 Days
Recommendation
-
Darren Criss on why playing a robot in 'Maybe Happy Ending' makes him want to cry
-
Kentucky Derby 2024 ticket prices: How expensive is it to see 150th 'Run for the Roses'?
-
Powell likely to signal that lower inflation is needed before Fed would cut rates
-
Dance Moms' JoJo Siwa and Kalani Hilliker Reveal Why They’re Still Close to Abby Lee Miller
-
Gisele Bündchen Makes First Major Appearance Since Pregnancy
-
6-year-old girl goes missing along Michigan river where 7-year-old drowned the day before
-
Lawsuit against Meta asks if Facebook users have right to control their feeds using external tools
-
Off the Grid: Sally breaks down USA TODAY's daily crossword puzzle, All Kid-ding Aside