Bangkok: Japan continues to face a problem of bears causing disturbances and attacks on people. Recently, a bear broke into a hotel, and officials decided to euthanize the bear for the safety of everyone.
According to Thai News Agency, the incident occurred at the Namekawa Onsen Hotel in northern Iwate Prefecture on the morning of November 7th. A 1.2-meter-tall male black bear broke into the hotel and stayed inside for four hours, refusing to leave. Eventually, staff decided to euthanize the bear for everyone's safety.
The hotel, the only hot spring resort in the area, was forced to close its doors for the winter two days earlier than planned after a bear was spotted in the parking lot on November 3, as Japan grapples with a rise in bear attacks.
Since April, there have been more than 100 bear attacks and a record 13 deaths, mostly in neighboring Iwate and Akita prefectures, as the government moves to deploy troops to help eradicate bears and ease gun regulations to make it easier for hunters to shoot bears in urban areas.