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Bear Attacks Security Guard in Train Station Bathroom

Japan is on track for a record-breaking year of bear attacks.

A security guard was attacked by a bear while in a public train station bathroom, causing him to fall over on his backside in a battle for survival. The 69-year-old man is the latest victim in a record-breaking year of bear attacks in Japan that has claimed the lives of 13 people since April. The unnamed man said he was about to leave the restroom at JR Numata Station in Gunma Prefecture when he saw the animal peering inside on Friday at around 1 a.m. In the ensuing excitement, he fell over backward and received minor injuries to his right leg but managed to fend the bear off by kicking out at it. Eventually the bear, thought to have been between 3 and 5 feet tall, fled into the night. The man followed suit, and while the station was closed he managed to find a police telephone kiosk where he reported the incident. Kyodo News reports that there were 197 bear attacks in Japan between April and October, closing in on fiscal year 2023’s record of 219. Bears are thought to be drifting into more populated areas due to food scarcity in their natural habitats.