Fresh insights into the tragic incident involving a man attacked and killed by a bear in Japan have been revealed following the discovery of his smartwatch.
Sota Keisuke, a 26-year-old man, was hiking on Mount Rausu in Hokkaido, Japan, when a brown bear fatally attacked him.
Keisuke embarked on this hike with a friend on August 14. While his friend managed to escape and report his disappearance, new data retrieved from Keisuke’s smartwatch has shed light on the events that unfolded when he was pulled into the forest.
The day after the bear attack, searchers scoured the area where he was last seen and found a piece of clothing and his wallet.
Later that day, Keisuke was located and taken to a hospital, where he was pronounced dead by medical staff.
During their examination, police found a GPS-enabled watch on his body, allowing them to extract more information about his unfortunate demise.
According to Asahi Shimbun, data indicated Keisuke was dragged off the Mount Rausu hiking path into a wooded area around 11.00am.
The smartwatch, likely still on Keisuke’s wrist, recorded movements around the same dense bush area.
He is believed to have died approximately 109 to 142 yards from the trail when his smartwatch ceased tracking his heartbeat.
Keisuke’s body seemed to remain in that location overnight until about 9.00am the following morning, at which point his watch showed movements suggesting the bear had moved his body again.
The search-and-rescue team later corroborated these findings, encountering a mother bear and her two cubs with Keisuke’s body.
Authorities euthanized all three brown bears at the site, and more remains were discovered near a dirt mound 109 yards from the initial attack site.
Once the body was transported to the Shari Police Station in Hokkaido, his parents identified him.
The bear-inflicted injuries were so severe that authorities recommended the parents only view his face for identification.
Following the attack, the hiking trail was closed to the public.
Authorities noted that Keisuke’s death marks the first recorded bear attack in the 43-mile-long region in 63 years.
A report from Japan’s Ministry of Environment indicates that since April, bear attacks have resulted in 13 fatalities and over 100 injuries.