Police in Hokkaido Island, Japan warned the public to be cautious after a brown bear attacked a light truck on a forest road. Dashcam footage showed two men encountering a female bear and her cub on the road, with the mother bear charging at the vehicle, breaking the windshield and causing damage. The men were unharmed, but the vehicle sustained significant damage. A researcher suggested that the bear may have felt threatened as the vehicle came between her and her cub. Hokkaido has a large population of brown bears, with over 12,000 estimated at the end of 2022. The island has seen numerous bear attacks over the years, with 57 deaths and 112 injuries since 1962. In 2021, four people were killed and 10 injured in bear attacks, making it one of the deadliest years on record.
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