News 2 Brown Bears Mount Rausu (Iwaobetsu Trail), Hokkaido Aug 14, 2025, 02:00 AM

Description

Around 11:00 on August 14, 2025, a 26-year-old man from Tokyo was attacked and killed by a female bear and two cubs on the Iwaobetsu trail of Mount Rausu. Investigators found the same bear family had approached hikers on August 10, with over 30 sightings and confirmed behavior of not avoiding people; the mother bear was subsequently culled.

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

Summary

On August 14, 2025, a 26-year-old man was killed by a female bear and two cubs while descending the Iwaobetsu trail of Mount Rausu. The Shiretoko Foundation's investigation found the same bear family had repeatedly approached hikers — with more than 30 sightings and behavior showing they did not avoid people — and repellent measures had been tried without effect. The mother bear was culled after the incident, and the companion's spray was reported not to be suitable for brown bears.

Bear Type

Brown Bear

Number of Bears

2

Provider Type

News

Date & Time

Thursday, August 14, 2025 at 02:00 AM

Address

Coordinates

44.075769, 145.122115

Sources