A bear has been shot dead in Japan after it injured four people during a rampage in the northern city of Sapporo.
The out-of-control animal sparked local school closures and the cancellation of several flights at a small regional airport.
News footage showed the bear running along a residential street, crossing a busy road and clawing at the gates of a military barracks, causing troops to run, AFP reported.
Authorities in Sapporo tweeted on Friday that the bear had now been “exterminated.”
The tweet reportedly came after government spokesperson, Katsunobu Kato, told locals in the Hokkaido region to be on high alert.
He confirmed that “a total of four people, including one self-defence forces member” had been attacked and injured by the bear.
Mr Kato said the government “expressed sincere sympathy” to those impacted by the incident.
The Japan Bear and Forest Society has warned that forest-dwelling bears are being spotted in greater numbers in areas inhabited by humans as they search for food.
