In Japan, a Bear Does His Grocery Shopping

Arizona isn't alone with its bold ursine population: A bear wandered into a grocery store in Numata, Japan, on Tuesday, causing panic and leaving two men with minor injuries. The 4.5-foot animal, likely agitated and confused, entered through the front door and spent about four minutes inside, according to store management. During its brief visit, the bear toppled avocados, climbed onto a fish case, and broke some glass while 30 to 40 shoppers looked on, per CBS News. After struggling to find an exit, the bear left on its own, leaving one man injured in the parking lot and another injured inside the store, reports CNN.

The incident was one of several bear-related encounters in Japan this week. In the northern Iwate region, a man was found dead on a mountain Wednesday in what authorities suspect was a bear attack. If confirmed, it would be the eighth death attributed to bear attacks this year, per CNN. Also in Iwate, a farmer was bitten and scratched Tuesday by a bear accompanied by a cub outside his home. And in central Japan's Shirakawa-go village on Sunday, a Spanish tourist was attacked by a bear at a bus stop.

Bear sightings and attacks are becoming increasingly common in Japan. The country recorded 219 attacks and six deaths in the year leading up to April 2024, according to the environment ministry. Experts point to climate change as affecting bears' food supply and hibernation patterns, as well as Japan's shrinking and aging population. As humans leave rural areas, bears are moving in, expanding their range. Japan is one of the few places where bears are seemingly increasing and reclaiming lost territory, in what biologists see as a conservation success, though it comes with risks to people.