Bear Spotted in Residential Area in Japan’s Sendai

Sendai, Miyagi Pref., April 19 (Jiji Press)–A bear was spotted in a residential area in Sendai, a major city in northeastern Japan, on Sunday, prompting local authorities to issue a warning to nearby residents. A resident saw the bear near the residential area in Aoba Ward in the Miyagi Prefecture capital Sunday morning and reported this to the prefectural police department. The bear is staying in the bushes of an apartment building for hours. Police set a box trap to capture the bear while warning residents not to go out. The adult bear is as tall as about 1.5 meters, according to the prefectural police. A bear was spotted also on Saturday night, in areas about 1 to 2 kilometers from the residential area. The bear spotted Sunday is highly likely to be the same as the one found Saturday, the police said. The area in front of the apartment was cordoned off, and nearby roads were partially closed to traffic. Police officers wearing helmets are being mobilized around the apartment. No injuries have been confirmed. The residential area is about 1 km from the Sendai municipal government building. Located nearby are a municipal junior high school, a shopping mall and Tohoku University Hospital. A corporate worker in her 40s who lives nearby expressed surprise, saying, “I never imagined a bear coming to a residential area like this.” She said she came to the apartment area after viewing a social media image showing the bear. “I’m scared to think about the possibility of my son encountering the bear on his way to and from a preparatory school,” she said. END [Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]