A total of four bears were spotted in residential areas of Sendai City, Miyagi Prefecture, in northeastern Japan on Tuesday evening. One of the animals has been captured. City authorities are on the alert as bears have been making repeated appearances in the area.

One bear was spotted on a roadside tree near Rikuzen-ochiai train station in the city's Aoba Ward at about 6:30 p.m. on Tuesday. The bear, which measured about 1.2 meters long, was captured and later euthanized. The animal was female and thought to be about three years old.

Around the same time, three other bears were spotted on a road in the same ward, about four kilometers from the station. The bears were each about 80 centimeters long.

No injuries were reported, but local police patrolled school routes and other areas on Wednesday morning.

On August 29, a bear attacked and injured a nine-year-old boy and his grandfather. The incident happened in the same district where the three bears were spotted on Tuesday.

A mother in her 30s expressed concern, saying her son is in the first year of elementary school.

Another mother of two said she hopes the authorities can clarify why bears have been spotted so often in the neighborhood.