Increased bear sightings near residential areas have been blamed on climate change and depopulation
More wild bears have been spotted in residential areas in Japan in recent years, resulting in a rising number of attacks and deaths.
“A 73-year-old woman was found lying down with head injuries at the facility entrance on Thursday night,” a local police spokesman in the northern Akita region said.
Emergency doctors told police they believed it was a bear attack based on the injuries the woman suffered, the spokesman said.
Security camera footage outside the facility showed a bearlike animal attacking the woman when she was walking with what appeared to be a rubbish bag, he added. “She was unable to talk due to injuries and was unconscious when sent to hospital.”
