News Brown Bear Engaru Town, Hokkaido Mar 20, 2026, 04:19 AM

Description

Around 13:19 on March 20, 2026, a driver spotted a bear about 1.3 meters long beside the Asahikawa-Monbetsu Expressway near the Shirataki Tunnel (about 3 km before the tunnel) in Engaru Town, Hokkaido. There had been another sighting on the 19th, and police warned that bears are awakening from hibernation and urged caution.

Note: Official sources provide information in Japanese only. This description has been machine translated for your convenience.

Summary

On the afternoon of the 20th, a driver spotted a roughly 1.3-meter bear near the Shirataki Tunnel on the Asahikawa-Monbetsu Expressway in Engaru Town. With another sighting reported the day before, police warned that bears are becoming active after hibernation and urged caution.

Bear Type

Brown Bear

Number of Bears

1

Provider Type

News

Date & Time

Friday, March 20, 2026 at 04:19 AM

Address

Coordinates

44.062027, 143.527974

Sources