Authorities in Japan’s northern island of Hokkaido are searching for a young hiker believed to have been mauled and dragged into the forest by a wild brown bear.
The man, reportedly in his 20s, was hiking on a mountain trail on Mount Rausu on Thursday morning when the animal struck, according to multiple media reports including The Guardian. Witnesses said the hiker fought desperately to fend off the bear, but the powerful predator overpowered him, pulling him into the dense woodland as blood poured from his legs.
Rescue teams launched a search soon after but have yet to locate the missing man. On Friday, police reported finding disturbing evidence of the attack: a wallet and identification card bearing his name, a shredded bloodstained shirt, and other belongings including a watch, hat, and what appeared to be tear gas. Nearby, trees and soil were splattered with blood.
Brown bear encounters are not unusual in Hokkaido, though this latest incident comes amid a significant change in the island’s bear population. Government statistics reveal that numbers fell in 2023 for the first time in more than 30 years, dropping from 12,100 to around 11,600, following record culls. More than 1,800 bears were killed between April 2023 and March 2024 in an effort to reduce human-wildlife conflicts.
Police and emergency teams continue to comb the thick, bear-inhabited forest surrounding Mount Rausu, but as of Friday evening, the hiker remains missing.
