A mother brown bear attacked a stopped vehicle in the town of Bifuka on Hokkaido, Japan’s northernmost main island, leaving dents, scratch marks and a hole in the car’s hood, according to Hokkaido Police.
Police said the incident happened Tuesday when the driver stopped for a large brown bear and its cub crossing the road. Video of the encounter shows both animals initially running from the vehicle before the mother bear turned, charged the car and jumped onto the hood, biting and clawing at it. She then backed away and rammed the front of the vehicle repeatedly before fleeing with her cub.
The bear involved is believed to be an Ussuri brown bear (Ursus arctos lasiotus), the subspecies found on Hokkaido and related to brown bears across Europe, Asia and North America, including Alaskan browns and grizzlies. These bears can weigh more than 400 pounds, and a healthy adult has few natural threats on the island beyond other bears.
Attacks on people by Ussuri brown bears have occurred in Japan, though the animals’ biggest danger on Hokkaido today tends to come from vehicle traffic rather than the reverse. Early October falls during the period when bears in the region are feeding heavily ahead of winter denning, a time when wildlife officials generally caution that the animals can become more unpredictable, including around people or vehicles that get close to cubs.
No injuries to the vehicle’s occupants were reported in connection with the encounter.
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