Climber says friend attacked by brown bear on Mt. Rausu in Hokkaido

NHK

2 days ago

Police in Japan's northern prefecture of Hokkaido say they received a report on Thursday that a climber had been attacked by a bear on Mount Rausu.
A man called the police at around 11:10 a.m., saying a bear had attacked his friend and dragged him away.
The caller has reportedly since been rescued. The police say the condition of his friend remains unknown. Both climbers are in their 20s.
The 1,661-meter mountain is on the Shiretoko Peninsula in eastern Hokkaido, and is a known habitat for brown bears.
They say they have been searching from the air for the climber who was attacked.
According to the police, at least 40 people had submitted climbing plans for Mount Rausu that day.
They say that by about 3 p.m., helicopters had airlifted about 10 climbers who had taken shelter at an observation deck or other locations on the mountain.
Mount Rausu straddles the towns of Rausu and Shari. It is part of Shiretoko, a UNESCO World Natural Heritage site. The mountain attracts many climbers during the summer season.
Local forestry authorities say climbing routes to the mountain were closed after the report of the attack.
The Shiretoko Nature Foundation says there have been a series of sightings of bears approaching climbers since July.
On Tuesday, a climber reportedly came across a bear at close range and was followed for several minutes even after spraying it with bear repellent.
The foundation strongly recommends carrying bear repellent spray when entering the mountains. It says that if climbers encounter a bear, they should avoid provoking it and slowly back away to maintain distance.