Officers in Iwate prefecture took a call Monday evening from a household in the town of Shizukuishi reporting the animal inside their home. It « opened the fridge, scattering its content nearby, » a local police official told AFP. Footprints suggest the bear left through a back door and rooted through a bin for food waste. At least four other homes in the same town have reported bear intrusions since July 5, and some outlets say a single animal may be behind more than a dozen break-ins.

Bears have killed at least five people in Japan since April 1, all in the Tohoku region, following a record 13 fatal attacks last fiscal year. Scientists point to a growing bear population, shrinking rural communities and shifting food supplies.

Read more: Malay Mail (AFP) · Thairath · Yahoo News

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