On the morning of the 23rd, a hunter patrolling the fields in Esashi, a town in Hokkaido, Japan, discovered approximately 80 watermelons that had been ravaged. This incident follows a similar occurrence just four days earlier in an adjacent field, suggesting a pattern of damage caused by wild bears, known as higuma in Japanese.
Local police are intensifying their monitoring efforts in the area, as the circumstances surrounding the destruction point to bear activity. Hokkaido, Japan’s northernmost island, is known for its wildlife, including the large brown bears that can sometimes venture into agricultural areas in search of food.
Source: www3.nhk.or.jp