‘On bear patrol’: Inside Japan’s fightback against a surge of deadly bear attacks

Bear hunter Haruo Ikegami teaching his apprentice. Yumi Asada/CNN Sunagawa, Japan —

Haruo Ikegami starts each day at dawn.

Just as sunlight interrupts the darkness over his small Hokkaido city, the 76-year-old pulls on his rain boots and dons a bright orange jacket. This is his uniform, he tells me.

After grabbing his walkie talkies, he trudges across his frosted garden and climbs into a green van, adorned with stickers reading “ on bear patrol.” His vehicle is instantly recognizable here. Along the drive, neighbors call out, asking about recent sightings.

Ikegami is somewhat of a local hero in this rural community. Over his 40-year career, he’s culled dozens of bears and sees his work as a crucial line of defense between the town and the increasingly unpredictable wilderness.