unsave Save
expand-left
full screen
Bear attacks are becoming more common in Japan. The authorities are now warning of newly awakened, hungry bears in a bad mood.
But two of them picked the wrong person to mess with in Japan’s Nayoro on Thursday.
50-year-old Masato Fukuda was on his way to look at a waterfall in the mountainous region of the island of Hokkaido when he suddenly saw two brown bears through the foliage. Soon after, one of the bears attacked.
– I thought I have to act, otherwise I will be killed, Fukuda told local media.
Unfortunately for the bear, its opponent was trained in the martial art of karate. The 50-year-old kicked the animal in the face – twice. In the movement, he sustained minor injuries by spraining his leg, but the counterattack scared off the bears, who lurched off through the woods.
Both bears measured around 1.5 meters, according to local media.
Bear attacks have become increasingly common in Japan. Last year, a record number of people were attacked by bears in Japan: 219. Six of the cases had a fatal outcome, writes the South China Morning Post (SCMP). According to experts, the increase is based on the animals finding it increasingly difficult to find food in their natural habitats, which in turn is partly due to climate change.
On Thursday, Japanese authorities urged hikers, farmers and others to be on the lookout in forests and fields as the bears began to emerge from their dens — hungry and in a bad mood, according to the SCMP.
