北海道ほっかいどう 福島ふくしま町まち ヒグマか 再ふたたびゴミ置き場おきば荒あらされ警戒けいかい続つづく

A door to a store’s garbage area was found broken late at night on the 14th in Fukushima Town, Hokkaido, where a man was killed in a bear attack.

Just this morning on the 14th, scattered kitchen waste was found again, and the police believe it was caused by a brown bear and are continuing to stay on alert.

According to the police, at around 11:30 p.m. on the 14th, a police officer on patrol found that the door to the garbage disposal area of a supermarket and home improvement center in Mitake, Fukushima Town, had been broken.

About an hour ago, there were no abnormalities, but it was found that the pet food and other items inside had disappeared. The police believe that a brown bear may have caused the damage and are continuing to stay on alert.

This garbage dump is located about 400 meters north of the site where the man who was killed in a bear attack was found, and on the morning of the 14th, food waste was also discovered scattered around.

Supermarket manager Yuki Iwabuchi said, Since this is the only supermarket in town, we cant afford to close the store.

Some employees commute on foot, so we are also considering providing transportation by car. In any case, we want to prioritize safety above all else as we continue our operations.

Amidst these circumstances, the town of Fukushima is once again urging residents to be cautious, such as by creating flyers asking them not to put out garbage at night in order to avoid attracting brown bears.

On the morning of the 15th, a man who was taking out the trash in the neighborhood said, Even when Im taking out the garbage, I keep an eye out to make sure there arent any bears around.

Mr. Masashi Nakatsuka, Assistant Manager of the Fukushima Town Residents Division, said, There is a possibility that food waste is attracting brown bears, so we would like to ask for your cooperation in putting out garbage on the collection day itself.

Chief Cabinet Secretary Hayashi: There have been frequent sightings from an early stage. Please be on full alert. At a press conference following a cabinet meeting, Chief Cabinet Secretary Hayashi stated, The reasons for bear appearances vary by region, but possible factors include the presence of food such as fruit, leftovers, and livestock feed in residential areas, as well as an increase in thickets in abandoned farmlands that serve as entry routes for bears. It is important to manage food in residential areas and block off potential entry routes.

On top of that, although bear sightings usually tend to increase from early autumn, this year there have been frequent sightings in various places from an earlier time.

We would like to continue to ask the public to remain vigilant, such as by paying close attention to information issued by local governments.