A “jet-black animal resembling a bear” was reportedly spotted near Yume Hiroba, west of Hokura Shrine in Higashinada Ward, Kobe, next to Ashiya. The sighting apparently occurred at around 5:00 p.m. on Sunday, June 21.
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↑ A post from the official Instagram account of Hokura Shrine and Saginomiya Hachiman Shrine
After the sighting was reported to the police, a wildlife control specialist from the City of Kobe reportedly inspected the area, but found no evidence such as bear droppings, footprints, or claw marks. There are also jet-black wild boars in this area, so depending on the circumstances, one could apparently be mistaken for a bear.
Since a bear was captured on camera in Dojo-cho, Kita Ward, Kobe, on June 11, no bears have reportedly been detected by sensor cameras elsewhere in the city.
As a precaution, the city recommends avoiding dimly lit times of day, such as early morning and evening, when entering the mountains, and carrying something that makes noise, such as a bell or radio.
Here’s the location on the map ↓
The address is Motoyamacho Tanabe, Higashinada Ward, Kobe.
Hokura Shrine is in Higashinada Ward, Kobe, but it’s very close to Ashiya, so we wanted to share this just in case.
Finally
In Ashiya, there appear to have been no reports of wild bears since a sighting near the summit of Takao-yama (Shiroyama) in 2021.
More people will likely be hiking in the Rokko mountain range in the coming season, so please take care, just in case.
