Bear invades elderly couple's home, empties fridge in Northern Japan

A bear allegedly broke into the home of an elderly couple in northern Japan and rummaged through their refrigerator, in the latest of a growing number of bear intrusions as the animals increasingly venture into towns in search of food.Mitsuo Matsubara, 87, discovered a bear in his kitchen on Monday night after hearing a noise and going to investigate at his home in the town of Shizukuishi in Iwate Prefecture, according to Japanese media.His wife alerted emergency services, and authorities said neither of them was injured, as cited by The Independent. The bear reportedly opened the refrigerator and scattered its contents across the kitchen before leaving, a local police official told AFP.Footprints indicated that the bear exited through a back door next to the kitchen after rummaging through a bin in search of food scraps, the official said.