Star Metro - Japan bear victim's watch shows last movements

Bears have killed a record 13 people in Japan this year and injured more than 200 others, while reports of the creatures roaming near schools and rampaging in supermarkets have heightened anxiety, especially in rural northern regions.

The hiker's GPS watch, which uses satellite signals to log routes and monitors heart rate, was retrieved after the fatal attack on August 14, the Asahi Shimbun reported.

Data from the device showed that at around 11 am it suddenly deviated from the hiking trail in Hokkaido and went down a forested slope, the daily said.

In an area of thick brush, it repeatedly circled and passed over the same spot.

The watch also showed that the man's heart stopped beating about 100 to 130 meters (yards) from the trail, indicating that he died there.

The watch remained in the same spot all night but moved again around 9 am the next morning, travelling several hundred meters through the brush.

This suggests the brown bear had come back and dragged the man's body away, the Asahi said.

Three days later, on August 15, a bear with two cubs was spotted dragging his body in its mouth. All three animals were killed.

A mound of earth made by the bear was found nearby and traces of the man -- who was engaged to be married -- were discovered, the report added.

The victim's parents were asked to identify the body, but police asked them only to look at his face because of the extent of injuries.

D.Ch. Nadeau--SMC