Hunters on Friday shot dead a brown bear in a city in northern Japan, where it had injured four people and wreaked havoc.

The information comes from a local television and is confirmed by the town of Saporo in a tweet explaining that the animal has been "exterminated".

Earlier today, local media had shown the bear leaping down a residential street, crossing a busy road and clawing at the doors of an army barracks, scaring away panicked servicemen.

A soldier was injured during the animal's journey in the city which is due to host the Olympic marathon and athletic walking events in August.

This morning a bear was seen in downtown Sapporo and injured 4 people.


The bear is about 1.5m tall and the city of Sapporo has asked residents not to leave their homes.


The 42 schools in the Higashi-ku district were closed.pic.twitter.com / YH1v8Dmegr

- ⛩ Ryo Saeba ⛩ (@ Ryo_Saeba_3) June 18, 2021

Four people injured

Another victim was mutilated by the bear when he attacked her from behind, according to television footage.

The person was evacuated on a stretcher.

The incident resulted in the closure of local schools and the cancellation of several flights at a small regional airport, according to NHK state television.

“A total of four people, including a member of the Self-Defense Force (the Japanese Army), were attacked and injured by the brown bear. We express our sincere compassion to them, ”government spokesman Katsunobu Kato said. "Sapporo city officials, the Hokkaido Island Police (where Sapporo is located), a local hunters' association and other relevant organizations" coordinated "their efforts to capture the brown bear, or exterminate it if necessary ”.

One of the injured is in his forties, a second in his seventies and a third in his eighties, according to NHK, which did not provide details on the fourth.

Asian black bears are widely distributed in Japan, including on the country's main island, while brown bears occupy the island of Hokkaido in the north.

According to the Japanese Bears and Forests Society, bears living in forests are increasingly moving to areas inhabited by humans in search of food.

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