Bjorn captured after three days of fighting with the Japanese police | Japan

A bear that attacked a supermarket worker in northern Japan over the weekend before apparently staying inside for three days has been euthanized after being found in a trap set by local authorities near the store’s entrance.

A 47-year-old man was taken to hospital with facial and other injuries after the attack in the northern prefecture of Akita on Saturday morning. According to local media, his injuries are not life-threatening.

Police called in licensed hunters to kill the animal, which is said to be about one meter long, but they were initially unable to locate it, Kyodo news agency said.

Traps were set at the entrances to the supermarket, where the bear appeared to have eaten large amounts of meat. A drone had also been deployed to ascertain its whereabouts.

Police said the bear was found in a trap where honey, apples and bread had been placed between an entrance and a storage area after the government informed them the trap’s sensor had been activated early Monday morning.

The bear was put to sleep before it was killed, reports the Kyodo news agency.

Authorities in parts of northern Japan are struggling to deal with the increasing number of encounters between humans and bears that have left their natural habitat in search of food.

Residents have been asked to be vigilant, including those in urban areas, as the animals prepare to hibernate, while some have warned that a lack of food means some hungry animals will continue to forage in the colder months .

Authorities reported 219 victims, including six deaths, from bear attacks in 19 of Japan’s 47 prefectures in the 12 months to March this year – the highest number since nationwide data became available.

Varying harvests of bears’ staple food and depopulation of rural areas have been cited as factors in the rise in ursin encounters, while experts believe a steady decline in the number of children, whose noisier behavior helps keep bears away, is another factor behind the increase in incidents in rural towns and villages.

The injured man in Akita was attacked while working near the supermarket’s deli section before the store opened early on Saturday. Another worker helped him to safety in a warehouse area before he called police, Kyodo said. The store was closed and there were no shoppers inside at the time.

Several bear sightings have been reported in the neighborhood near the center of Akita city in recent days. The prefecture was the scene of two high-profile incidents last year, including one in which a man lost part of an ear after finding a bear in his garage, and another in which several people were mauled at a bus stop.

Japan’s bear population is growing, with one estimate putting the number of black bears at 44,000 – compared to an estimated 15,000 in 2012. This figure does not include Hokkaido, believed to be home to just under 12,000 Ussuri brown bears, whose population has more than doubled since 1990 .