IWATE (TR) – A man found dead in a forest in Hachimantai City last month had likely been mauled by a bear, police said on Monday, reports TV Asahi (Sept. 2).
According to police, the results of an autopsy conducted at Iwate Medical University Hospital indicated that the man had been bitten by a bear on the head and right arm.
The man, believed to be in his 60s or older, had been dead for about a week.
A fisherman found the body on August 26. Police have not yet identified him. However, he is believed to be a man who went missing in Akita Prefecture several days before the discovery.
The location of the discovery is frequented by persons who fish or collect wild vegetables. Police have received reports of bears being seen in the area.
The local forest agency has posted signs along forest roads that urge caution regarding bears.
According to prefectural records, the last time such case took place in Iwate was in 2009. That September, a bear fatally mauled a man in his 70s in a forest in the Taro area of Miyako City.
