3 Bears Captured After Staying Overnight in Tatami Mat Shop in Akita Pref.

The Yomiuri Shimbun

14:19 JST, October 5, 2023

AKITA — Three bears were captured with a cage Thursday after spending over 20 hours in a tatami mat store in Misato, Akita Prefecture, according to police. No injuries were reported.

The bears were witnessed entering a workroom of a tatami mat store at around 7:30 a.m. on Wednesday by an employee of the nearby Misato Town Hall. After receiving the report, police kept watch near the scene. They said that one of the bears was about 1 meter long while the other two were about 50 centimeters long. Nobody was inside the store.

Members of a local hunting association tried to get the bears out using firecrackers but were unsuccessful. So, they set up two cages at the workroom entrance and confirmed on Thursday morning that the bears were trapped in cages.

The town office said that the bears were killed after being transported to another site.