Bear invasion in Japan? Army steps in as locals say it feels like living inside a safari park
Bear sightings have reportedly become almost a daily occurrence in the mountainous regions, with the creatures being spotted near schools, train stations, supermarkets and resorts. One resident said the increased sighting made him feel like he was 'living inside a safari park'.
Japan's Defense Ministry has deployed troops in the northern prefecture of Akita, as pre reports. Not due to security threats, but to help tackle a surge in bear attacks that has seen 13 deaths across the nation since April.
Bear sightings have increased in Japan. Multiple videos circulating on social media, also showed a bear charging toward a moving car, with the driver accelerating in panic as the four-legged animal continued to chase it down the road. Netizens claim the incident happened in Japan's Hokkaido.
Apart from the 13 deaths,100 other people have been injured after encounters with brown bears and Asisatic black bears in Akita, as per multiple reports.
As per AFP, the number of fatalities from bear attacks is double the previous record of 2023-24, with five months of the fiscal year still to go.
‘…living inside safari park’
Bear sightings have reportedly become almost a daily occurrence in the mountainous regions, with the creatures being spotted near schools, train stations, supermarkets and resorts.
Hajime Nakae, professor of emergency and critical medicine at the Akita University Hospital, said the frequent bear sightings made him feel like he was "living inside... a safari park for bears".
How Japan is tackling the bear attacks?
On Wednesday, 5 November, Japanese troops began an operation which involves them setting box traps, assisting local hunters with transport and helping dispose of dead bears.
They have been instructed not to open fire on the animals, mentioned a report by Independent.
Why the rise in bear attacks?
Experts say a booming bear population and a changing climate is driving the rise in bear sightings, and the attacks. Owing to warmer weather and plentiful food sources — like acorns, deer, and wild boars — bears are thriving and multiplying rapidly, reported AFP.
In just three decades, Japan’s brown bear population has nearly doubled to around 12,000, while Asian black bears on the main island of Honshu have climbed to roughly 42,000, according to a recent government report.
Some mountain regions are now “overcrowded,” said Naoki Ohnishi, a researcher at the Forestry and Forest Products Research Institute.
“Put simply, the size of the bear population has gone beyond the capacity of the mountains to hold them,” AFP quoted the researcher as saying.
What eye-witnesses say
"We hear news almost every day about people being attacked or injured," said Kakeru Matsuhashi – a traditional "Matagi" hunter – who is 28-years-old.
"It's becoming something that feels personal, and it's simply frightening," he told AFP.