KOR
▲ A bear in Japan (The photo above is not related to the article.)
A commotion broke out in Japan after a bear raided a moored tuna fishing boat at a port in Miyagi Prefecture and then jumped into the sea to swim away.
According to outlets including the Nihon Keizai Shimbun on September 21, a bear measuring about 1 meter in length climbed aboard a moored tuna fishing vessel via the boarding ladder at a port in Shiogama, Miyagi Prefecture, at around 8:30 p.m. on September 19.
The bear loitered and rolled around inside the ship for over four hours before jumping into the sea just past 1 a.m. on September 20.
Three crew members who were on the boat at the time avoided injury by taking refuge in a cabin with a lockable door.
The bear was later spotted in a grassy area along the coast about 1 kilometer northeast of the port before disappearing from sight.
Given that a bear had been sighted around the port since September 18, local police and municipal authorities believe it is likely the same animal, and they are searching for the bear's whereabouts after it swam from the pier into the sea.
Recently in Japan, cases of bears appearing not only in residential areas but also in downtowns and coastal regions due to food shortages have been surging.
Last year, casualties caused by bears reached a record high of 238 people (including 13 deaths), and as of the end of July this year, 53 people (including 6 deaths) have fallen victim.
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.
