The Brown Bear Hunters of Hokkaido Closely Observe the Tense Exchange of Lives

This year, not only humans but also livestock have been attacked by brown bears one after another.

“Three calves were attacked by brown bears this year. We have never seen anything like this before.”

According to Teruo Kaneko, 45, who has been breeding black Wagyu cattle for three generations in Ashoro Town, one calf was found with its internal organs eaten, and two calves are missing. The mother cow had scars on her body from brown bear claws. “Cows are very cautious and have rarely been attacked by bears in the past,” Kanefuru said, his face contorted.

 

Many livestock producers are going out of business due to the weak yen and the rising cost of feed due to the war in Ukraine, and losing cows that they have raised with great care is a big blow.

A vast corn field for animal feed owned by Tsutomu Onuma, 52, a dairy farmer in Rikubetsu Town, was also damaged by brown bears. Brown bears climbed over the iron fence surrounding the field and entered the field. The fence was bent under the weight of the brown bear, and the field was littered with the remains of corn that had been devoured.

Mr. Onuma said, “I understand the opinion that killing bears is a pity, but for those who live here, it is a matter of life and death.”

After parting ways with Mr. Nonomura, I rode in the car driven by veteran hunter Mitsuo Kurokawa, 68, and accompanied him on a brown bear hunting trip in the mountains of Shikaoi Town. Kurokawa, who has been hunting for 40 years, was surprised at the number of brown bears that appeared this year.

“Until now, I have rarely seen bears while traveling along forest roads by car. It was impossible for me to encounter two bears in one day and shoot two of them.”