Bear Killed After Spending 2 Days Inside a Supermarket Ransacking Meat Department and Attacking Worker
As there were no customers at the time, the bear roamed inside the store in Japan and helped itself to the meat stock
Kyodo via AP Images
Minitruck carrying a bear which was trapped and killed after a two-day stay in a supermarket in Akita, northeastern Japan, on Dec. 2A bear that wreaked havoc on a supermarket in Japan and injured an employee has been captured and euthanized, according to reports.
The bear, which measured about 3 feet in length, was caught by authorities at the store in the Akita prefecture on the morning of Monday, Dec. 2, after a box trap sensor was triggered, according to Kyodo News.
According to police, the bear was found in the trap, which was placed between an entrance and a storage area and contained such items as honey, apples and bread, The Guardian reported.
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CNN reported that police wearing protective gear and carrying shields entered the store to remove the animal. An official later told the outlet that the bear was euthanized.
The bear’s capture and death marked the end of an ordeal that first began on Saturday, Nov. 30, when the animal entered the supermarket and attacked an employee, 47, who sustained a head injury, according to CNN. His injuries are not life-threatening, per multiple reports.
At the time of the bear’s arrival at the store, the supermarket employees were just starting their day, according to the Kyodo News. As there were no customers at the time, The Independent reported, the bear roamed inside the store and helped itself to the meat stock before it initially disappeared.
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Japan has recently seen an increase in the number of bear attacks on humans — about 212 people survived and six died in bear-related incidents last year, according to the Ministry of Environment, CNN previously reported.
Experts said that bears are emerging out of their habitats and entering urban areas in search of food. They attribute the bears’ behavior to climate change that is interrupting the flowering and pollination of the animals' traditional food sources.
