Black bear caught on camera attacking trapped deer in rare footage

A research team from Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology has successfully captured footage of an Asian black bear attacking a live deer caught in a trap — marking the first such recording and sparking safety concerns.

While bears occasionally feed on deer carcasses or fawns, it is highly unusual for them to prey on live adult deer. The findings, published recently in the online edition of the International Association for Bear Research and Management’s journal, suggest that if bears learn to associate traps with easy prey, the risk of encounters with humans could rise.

The footage was recorded in May last year in a forested area of Nikko, Tochigi Prefecture. The deer, an adult female, was caught in a snare — a type of trap that uses a wire loop to ensnare an animal’s leg — at around 3 a.m. on May 19.

Within 40 minutes, a bear arrived and began feeding on the trapped deer. The entire sequence was captured by an automated camera set up nearby.

More than 90% of an Asian black bear’s diet consists of plant matter such as nuts and berries. While bears have been known to scavenge deer carcasses or prey on newborn fawns, attacking a fully grown live deer is considered rare.

“This bear immediately went for the deer’s neck, suggesting it has done this multiple times before,” said Shinsuke Koike, the team’s leader and an ecology professor at the university. “It’s possible the bear has learned that it can find immobilized deer here.”

Snare traps are sometimes placed near farmland and residential areas to control deer populations. If bears can identify these traps as an easy food source, there is a risk that they could encounter humans more often — including those who set the traps.

“Deer culling is necessary, and as long as traps are used, it’s inevitable that bears will learn,” Koike said. “To minimize the danger, we need to clearly mark trap locations to keep people away and install cameras with remote monitoring capabilities.”