A bear allegedly broke into the home of an elderly couple in northern Japan and rummaged through their refrigerator, in the latest of a growing number of bear intrusions as the animals increasingly venture into towns in search of food.Mitsuo Matsubara, 87, discovered a bear in his kitchen on Monday night after hearing a noise and going to investigate at his home in the town of Shizukuishi in Iwate Prefecture, according to Japanese media.His wife alerted emergency services, and authorities said neither of them was injured, as cited by The Independent. The bear reportedly opened the refrigerator and scattered its contents across the kitchen before leaving, a local police official told AFP.Footprints indicated that the bear exited through a back door next to the kitchen after rummaging through a bin in search of food scraps, the official said. Since July 5, at least four other households in Shizukuishi have also reported bear intrusions.At least five people have reportedly been killed in bear attacks in Japan since April, as encounters between humans and bears continue to rise. All five deaths occurred in the Tohoku region and followed a record 13 fatal bear attacks nationwide in the previous fiscal year, according to Japan’s Environment Ministry, as cited by The Japan Times.Bear sightings have also increased across the country in recent months, with the animals emerging from hibernation and increasingly venturing into towns and cities in search of food.In June, police, hunters and local officials spent four days tracking and capturing a bear that had been roaming Utsunomiya in Tochigi Prefecture, north of Tokyo, forcing schools to close.Earlier, a bear described as “extremely intelligent” attacked four people at two factories in Fukushima and remained at large for several days, The Japan Times reported. The animal reportedly opened a window and even turned on a tap.
