Bear rips pensioner's head off while he's out picking mushrooms
A man in his 70s went missing after going into the woods to harvest mushrooms and authorities believe he was attacked by a bear
A mushroom forager who ventured into woodland has been discovered dead with his head severed following a horrific bear attack.
The man, believed to be in his 70s, disappeared last year after heading out to collect mushrooms in Iwate, Japan.
Officials initiated a search operation which led to the discovery of his lifeless body covered in scratch marks from a bear attack.
After the brutal bear attack, a local police officer from the northern Iwate region said: "A man in his 70s who went missing after going into the woods to harvest mushrooms was found dead. We suspect he was attacked by a bear based on scratch marks."
TV Iwate, a regional broadcaster, confirmed that his torso and head had become separated, providing further evidence to authorities that it was a savage bear attack.
The incident follows a marked increase in bear attacks throughout Japan in recent years, particularly heightening safety concerns for residents living close to woodland areas.
In another bear attack incident, a second man also in his 70s was discovered dead in a separate area of Iwate on the same day.
Meanwhile , the remains of a 78-year-old man with claw marks were found in the central prefecture of Nagano.
According to Japan's environment ministry, during the period from April to September last year, 103 people nationwide sustained injuries resulting from bear attacks.
In a bizarre turn of events, a distressed bear was seen wandering the aisles of a supermarket in Gunma, north of Tokyo.
The bear caused injuries to two men and left shoppers terrified. Despite the store's proximity to mountainous regions, locals reported there had been no previous instances of bears approaching the area.
The year before, in Gunma on Honshu island, a black bear broke into an elderly couple's home while they were asleep, causing in severe facial and head injuries.
In Akita prefecture, also on Honshu, a 64-year-old man tragically lost his life while gathering bamboo shoots in May. Police officers attempting to retrieve his body were assaulted by the bear, forcing them to withdraw.
Bears, typically herbivorous and insectivorous creatures, have reportedly developed a preference for meat due to Japan's growing deer population.
Hunting practices used to regulate their numbers, but with a decline in hunters, those remaining often abandon the carcasses in the mountains, providing an effortless meal for the bears.
It is also speculated that the heavy summer rainfall in 2023 followed by a drought affected the fruit harvest and insect population, which bears depend on before hibernation.
This food shortage is believed to be a potential reason behind the animals' search for nourishment elsewhere, including near human dwellings, where attacks have increased.
Yasushi Fujimoto, the leader of a hunting organisation, said: "The mountain is turning into a restaurant for bears, because of the remains left on the mountain after hunting.
"The lack of professional hunters, like park rangers in Alaska financed by the government, is a problem when it comes to controlling the number of bears."
