A three-year search for the "ninja bear" that attacked dozens of cattle in eastern Hokkaido has come to an end after the animal was found to have been shot by a hunter in July, local officials said Tuesday.
The brown bear is believed to have attacked a total of 66 cows since the summer of 2019 and was codenamed "OSO18" after an 18-centimeter paw print was found at the first known attack site in the Shimoosotsubetsu district of the town of Shibecha.
The Hokkaido Prefectural Government's regional bureau in Kushiro said Tuesday that DNA from the bear killed by the hunter matched that of samples from OSO18.
According to the bureau, a bear was spotted on farmland in Kushiro on the evening of July 28. It did not run away even at the sight of a human and was killed by a hunter two days later.
"Hopefully, residents will feel relieved," said Seiichi Sugiyama, a senior official at the bureau. The series of cattle attacks are estimated to have caused at least ¥23 million ($158,000) in damage.
The hunter reported to the Kushiro Municipal Government that OSO18, at 2.1 meters in length, looked "skinny" and was presumed to weigh 330 kilograms. The actual measurement of its front paw was 20 cm.
The hunter disposed of OSO18's body but provided hair samples that were used in the DNA testing.
The bureau said OSO18 was not particularly large for a brown bear.
The search involved local authorities installing traps and cameras. They also set up electric fences and machines emitting light and noise to scare the animal and prevent further attacks.
Local media dubbed OSO18 the "ninja bear" because it avoided falling into any of the traps set for it.