Swimming Bear Spotted in Aomori's Mutsu Bay, Culled Offshore Amid Social Media Shock and Concern
On November 14, 2025, an unusual incident occurred in Aomori Prefecture's Mutsu Bay, off the coast of Noheji, when a swimming bear was discovered by fishermen. Following the sighting, a local hunting association dispatched a fishing boat and culled the bear at sea. Reports suggest that this bear is highly likely to be the same individual previously sighted in the vicinity of the former Mamonto Elementary School. News of this event rapidly spread across social media platform X (formerly Twitter), with “swimming bear” quickly becoming a trending topic. Many users expressed surprise and anxiety, with comments such as, “I can’t believe they’ve even ventured into the sea” and “What are we supposed to do now?” Some sympathetic voices were also heard, lamenting, “It was swimming so hard, and now it’s been culled.” While bears swimming in the sea may seem unusual, it is, in fact, not uncommon. In 2018, there was a reported case of a Hokkaido brown bear swimming across the sea to Rishiri Is...