A brown bear fishing for salmon in Hokaido. Photo: Unsplash
The smartwatch of a man who was fatally attacked by a brown bear on the Japanese island of Hokkaido sadly contains clues to the final minutes of his life. The man, identified as 26-year-old Sota Keisuke, an experienced hiker, was trekking Mount Rausu when the incident occurred on August 14.
Keisuke’s family agreed to share the watch data with Asahi Shimbum, stating that they “don’t want another victim like our son.” The data showed his final movements and heartbeat.
The device movement became irregular around 11 a.m. as Keisuke was descending the 1,661-meter mountain with an acquaintance. The acquaintance, who was about 200 meters behind Keisuke, heard a scream and rushed down the trail to see a bear dragging him into the woods. Attempts at deterring the bear with bear repellent proved fruitless.
The watch’s GPS showed Keisuke being dragged through a steep forest, then circling around a fixed point. A heartbeat stopped being registered around 100 to 130 meters from the trail, which is where they believe Keisuke passed away.
After sitting still during the night, at 9 a.m. the following morning the watch moved again, dragged several hundred meters away.
The following day, search and rescue found the bear with two cubs still dragging Keisuke’s body. The three bears were put down. One hundred meters away was a mound that authorities say bears use for storing food. Some of Keisuke’s remains were found on the mound.
The incident has sparked controversy over how to balance the safety of humans and bears in one of the world’s most densely populated brown bear habitats. The bear involved was identified and had been regularly spotted in the area for over a decade. The victim’s father questioned why authorities had not taken action against a bear that repeatedly encroached on a popular recreation area.
Bear populations have reportedly skyrocketed in Japan and over 100 people have been attacked in the country with 11 deaths as of April. Nearly all the attacks and fatalities have occurred in Hokaido.
