A man in his 20s, who went missing after a bear attack on a mountain in eastern Hokkaido on Thursday, has been found dead, according to local media reports.
The Asahi Shimbun reported Friday that the man was found in the mountains and pronounced dead afterward. Hokkaido police and rescuers found the missing man¡¯s shirt with bloodstains earlier in the day, the daily reported.
A friend of the man, also in his 20s, called the police soon after the attack, which took place while they were hiking, saying the bear dragged the victim away while they were descending Mount Rausu on the Shiretoko Peninsula.
He told the police that his friend had been walking about 200 meters ahead of him when he was attacked. ¡°He was trying to fend off the bear but was dragged into the forest,¡± NHK quoted the man as saying.
After the attack, authorities shut down the trail for the 1,661-meter mountain, which straddles the towns of Rausu and Shari. There was another case on Tuesday in which a hiker was followed by a bear.
The town of Shari had been calling on hikers to be on alert since July, following several witness reports of brown bears unintimidated by humans.
The Hokkaido Prefectural Government issued a warning for brown bears around Mount Rausu, advising hikers to slowly and quietly step away backward if they encounter the animal.
¡°Don¡¯t throw rocks or shout and run away since it may provoke the bear,¡± it says on its website.
If they find bear footprints or droppings, they should turn back, it said.
Mount Rausu, a part of the Shiretoko Peninsula that was granted World Heritage status in 2005, supports a high population density of brown bears.
According to the Environment Ministry, a total of 55 people were attacked by bears across the country between April and July this year, out of which three have died.
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