New Zealand runner survives bear attack in Japanese woods

A New Zealand runner narrowly escaped a bear attack in Japan's Myoko forests, sustaining severe injuries during a terrifying encounter with two Asiatic black bears.

Billy Halloran, a 32-year-old ultramarathon athlete from Auckland, was on his regular training route when he discovered the bears watching him from bushes just 30 meters away.

The experienced wilderness runner attempted to retreat slowly before shouting to intimidate the approaching animals, but one bear lunged and seized his arm.

"Then in one bite, my arm was done," Halloran recounted from his hospital bed, where he has undergone three surgeries including bone reconstruction and metal plate implantation following the early October, 2025 attack.

The incident reflects Japan's escalating bear crisis, with over 100 injuries and seven fatalities recorded this year, the highest numbers since documentation began in 2006.

Experts attribute the increase to climate change disrupting traditional food sources, forcing bears into urban areas where recent incidents include supermarket invasions and nursery yard sightings.

Halloran managed to escape after the bear released him, running a kilometer with broken limbs to meet his wife for emergency evacuation.

Despite the trauma runner shared a comparison of event aftermath: "How someone getting attacked by a shark might feel trying to go back surfing." 

The determined athlete plans to return to nature after recovery, though he now considers carrying bear spray during future wilderness excursions.