Several watermelons ready for picking on a farm in Aizuwakamatsu, Fukushima Prefecture, were apparently damaged and eaten by a bear, the grower reported on Monday.

Local media reported that on Monday morning, Koichi Endo was checking on his watermelons growing behind his residence when he discovered that many of them had been partially eaten, while others had been trampled on.

Surveillance camera footage from Sunday night showed an Asian black bear about one meter in length wandering around the field for roughly 10 minutes before disappearing.

Footage from July 31 also revealed a bear carrying a watermelon in its mouth as it moves across the field.

This year, bear sightings have been rapidly on the rise in Fukushima Prefecture and police are warning residents to be careful.

© Japan Today