Man Repels Bear Attack in Hokkaido by Kicking its Face After Encountering 2 Bears While Sightseeing

The Yomiuri Shimbun

17:55 JST, April 25, 2024

A man encountered two brown bears at around 10:15 a.m. Thursday on a forest road while sightseeing alone in Nayoro, Hokkaido. One of the bears attacked the man, but he kicked the bear’s face, and both bears ran away. The 50-year-old, who was visiting from Toyota, Aichi Prefecture, was unharmed.

According to the local police, the man was driving to a tourist attraction to see waterfalls. When he got out of the car about two kilometers away from the falls, the two bears came out of nearby bushes. The bears reportedly had body lengths of about 1.3 meters and 1.5 meters.