Sawt Falasteen - 'Extremely intelligent' bear at large in Japan after hurting four

A record 13 people were killed by bears in Japan last year, and there has been a jump in sightings as the animals emerge hungry from hibernation.

After attacking four people at two factories in Fukushima on Tuesday, the bear took shelter inside one of the buildings, local media reported.

It dodged capture despite efforts by hunters and responders equipped with traps and anaesthetic guns, and escaped late Wednesday.

The bear remains at large as of Friday morning, a Fukushima official told AFP.

Fukushima city mayor Yuki Baba told reporters Thursday that evidence suggested the animal "unlocked the window on its own" to flee, adding that claw marks had been found near the exit.

It is also believed the bear "turned on the water tap" to drink, he added, describing it as "extremely intelligent".

"With the cooperation of hunters, police and firefighters, I believe we took all possible measures available to us" to catch it, Baba said.

"That we failed to achieve our goal despite our best efforts is extremely regrettable," he said.

In the last fiscal year to March, bear sightings nationwide topped 50,000, more than double the previous record set two years earlier, according to official data.

The animals were seen entering homes, roaming near schools and rampaging through supermarkets and hot spring resorts on an almost daily basis.

Bears are thriving thanks in part to an abundance of food -- including acorns, deer and boars -- under the influence of a warming climate, experts say.

I.Matar--SF-PST