Brown bear drags hiker into Japanese forest

A wild brown bear dragged a young hiker into a forest in northern Japan, media and police said Friday, with the victim missing a day after the bloody attack.

The hiker in his 20s tried to fight off the large animal but was pulled into nearby woods with his legs bleeding profusely, local media outlets including the Yomiuri daily said. 

The man was attacked while walking a trail on Mount Rausu on the northern island of Hokkaido on Thursday morning, a local police spokesman told AFP.

A wallet containing a card that bore his name was found near the scene of the encounter in the northeastern part of Hokkaido, according to media. 

A torn, bloodied shirt believed to be his was also found Friday, with nearby trees and soil dotted with traces of blood, Kyodo news agency said, quoting police. 

The man was hiking in northern Hokkaido. Photo: AFP

Among other discovered items were a watch, a hat and what appeared to be tear gas, Kyodo said. 

The number of brown bears in Hokkaido fell year-on-year in 2023 for the first time since 1991, according to latest estimates released this month.

There were about 11,600 at the end of 2023, down 500 from a year earlier. 

The Hokkaido government cited unprecedented hunting of brown bears, with a record 1,804 caught in the 12 months to March 2024.