Japanese Officials Hunt Bear Blamed for String of Home Break-Ins, Fridge Raid

Traps and electric fences go up after 14 break-ins in one town in two weeks

Authorities in Japan are searching for a bear suspected of breaking into homes and raiding refrigerators, after 14 break-ins were recorded in one town over the past two weeks, The Guardian reported.

On Monday evening, 87-year-old Mitsuo Matsubara was confronted by a large Asiatic black bear in his kitchen after going to investigate a noise. He found his refrigerator open and food strewn across the floor; his wife called police.

Officials have set up traps and electric fences amid concern that a single bear may be responsible for the repeated break-ins, part of a broader pattern of bear encounters in rural Japanese communities as the animals increasingly wander into populated areas in search of food.

— Compiled from reporting by The Guardian.