Japanese wild bear charges at moving car amid surge in fatal attacks
A video posted on X (formerly Twitter) by a ranch owner in Urakawa, Hokkaido, Japan, on Friday shows a bear charging at a vehicle. Captured from X
A terrifying video showing a wild bear charging at a moving vehicle in Hokkaido has alarmed local residents as Japan grapples with a surge in deadly bear encounters.
The video showing the charging bear was posted Friday on the X (formerly Twitter) account of a ranch owner in Urakawa, a town about 172 kilometers from Sapporo. “Around 7:30 p.m. yesterday, a ranch employee driving to the ranch encountered a bear on a bridge,” the ranch owner said.
In the clip, filmed by the driver on a rainy night, a massive brown bear can be seen sprinting directly toward the vehicle. With no way to swerve on the narrow bridge, the driver quickly reversed, but the bear continued to chase the car. “Nothing beyond what was shown in the video happened, and it ended safely,” the ranch owner said, while urging nearby residents and drivers to “be cautious when passing through the area.” The post also included a photo of the car’s hood, dented and scratched by the bear. As of Tuesday, the video had been viewed more than 37.4 million times.
A post on X (formerly Twitter) by a ranch owner in Urakawa, Hokkaido, japan on Friday shows footage of a bear charging at a car and photos of the damaged vehicle. Captured from X
Japan has seen a sharp rise in wild bear attacks in recent months. According to the Ministry of the Environment, 13 people have died from bear attacks since April, more than double the previous record of six deaths in 2023. Bear sightings have also surged, with 20,792 reported cases between April and September this year — already surpassing last year’s total within six months.
The Japanese government has deployed police counterterrorism units to affected regions as part of intensified bear control efforts.
This article from the Hankook Ilbo, the sister publication of The Korea Times, is translated by a generative AI system and edited by The Korea Times.