Cat food, pickled turnip, snacks: Bear keeps returning to raid the same house in Japan

A 70-year-old man in Shizukuishi, Iwate prefecture, Japan, reported a bear entering his home on July 11, marking the fourth such incident in a week. The bear, believed to be an adult, broke a window to access the sunken floor area of the house. Fortunately, the man and his family were unharmed.

This recurring intrusion has authorities suspecting it's the same bear. The animal has developed a taste for the household's provisions, having previously eaten cat food and pickled turnips on June 5, and returning on July 10 to raid the man's kitchen for snacks.

In response, the Iwate prefectural government and local town officials have taken measures to deter the bear. An electric fence has been erected around the property, and a box trap has been set up in an attempt to capture the animal. The problem appears to extend beyond this single residence, as another bear has been observed entering two neighboring houses.