On the northern island of Hokkaido, a female bear was destroyed on the morning of October 13, in the capital city of Sapporo.

At around 6:00PM on October 12, the bear that was about 1.5 meters in length, was caught in a box trap that had been set. 

At around 6:30AM the next morning, a hunter carried out the culling.

This is the third bear to be destroyed in this district this month.

In this area, sightings and appearances of mother bears with cubs have been occurring repeatedly since the beginning of this month.

According to city officials, the bear culled this time is highly likely to be the mother bear responsible for the repeated sightings.

Additionally, following a bear sighting near the Araiyama ski jump on October 12, the city decided to close nearby green spaces for the time being as well.

Following reports of bear sightings, flyers warning of brown bears have been distributed at Asahiyama Memorial Park in Sapporo.

Person handing out flyers: Early mornings and late nights are also dangerous times, so make sure to avoid them and keep your distance.

Brown bears have been spotted in other urban areas as well.

Security cameras at an empty house in the town of Kikonai captured a bear and two cubs on 3 occasions: twice on October 10, and once on October 12.

A bear was also sighted on the national highway on the October 12, blocking the road.

Due to the repeated sightings of bears in urban areas, Hokkaido has extended its special brown bear alert period until November 30 and is urging caution.