Hokkaido Prefectural Govt Sets Special Alert Period for Bears; Caution Urged from April 1 to May 31 to Avoid Attacks

The Yomiuri Shimbun

16:37 JST, March 30, 2025

The Hokkaido prefectural government has set a spring special alert period, from April 1 to May 31 this year, in the hope of preventing wild brown bear attacks during the time of year when people often enter the mountains for recreational activities.

The numbers of dangerous incidents involving encounters with brown bears in Hokkaido are especially high in April and May. There have been numerous cases wherein people entered the mountains to collect edible wild plants and were attacked by brown bears.

The Hokkaido prefectural government has asked people to check for information about brown bear sightings from municipal governments in advance when they enter the mountains.

The Hokkaido prefectural government has conducted research on incidents in which a total of 67 people were attacked by brown bears between 1989 and January this year, excluding cases in which hunters or officials trying to exterminate bears were attacked.

According to the results, separated by month, April had the second highest number of attacks with 12, followed by May at 10. October was the highest with 14 incidents.

April and May each recorded five fatal incidents, more than any other month.

The highest number of people, 33, were attacked by bears while collecting edible wild plants or mushrooms. Among these attacks, 14 fatalities were recorded.

In spring, the period when brown bears begin searching for food after ending their hibernation often overlaps with the time when people collect edible wild plants. This results in an increase in the possibility of dangerous incidents occurring.

In May last year, a man in his 80s who was collecting edible wild plants in Urakawa, Hokkaido, was attacked by a bear, which bit him in several places, including the neck, resulting in injuries.

Hokkaido Gov. Naomichi Suzuki, at a press conference Friday, said, “When people enter mountainous areas, I ask them not to forget the risk of unexpected brown bear encounters.”