Bear attacks in Japan have hit record highs, and now the military is coming in to help. Photo: BearBiology.com
Fatal bear attacks in Japan have reached a record high this year, according to the Japanese Environment Ministry.
The New York Times reported that, since April, 11 people have been killed and over 100 have been attacked. That’s the highest since 2006, when record keeping began. Nearly all of the fatalities have been in northeastern regions and the northern prefecture of Hokkaido, and now the military is being sent to set out traps.
Troops are heading to Akita Prefecture in the mountainous area in the north of Japan. They are tasked with both setting traps and getting rid of the bodies of the dead bears. They are not, however, allowed to kill any bears — that job is reserved for local hunters.
“Bears have been appearing in supermarkets, and there’s a possibility that a bear may be in front of your house when you wake up in the morning,” Shinjiro Koizumi, Japan’s defense minister, said at a news conference on Tuesday. “People are living in great fear.”
According to reports, the uptick in bear attacks is likely partially due to climate change. The bears are hungry, and their usual food sources like beechnuts are declining. Also, interestingly, it is being theorized that because Japan’s population is declining so quickly, more rural areas that used to be crowded are becoming less crowded, and the bears feel more comfortable exploring them.
The bears in question are the Asiatic black bear and the brown bear. Their populations are increasing, and many of them are beginning to venture into residential areas — even just outside of major cities like Tokyo — in search of food to fatten themselves up in preparation for hibernation.
The New York Times reported that the bears have broken into schools and even attacked a tourist at a bus stop. A university in northern Japan canceled classes for two days after someone saw a bear roaming the campus.
In Akita Prefecture, the issue is particularly problematic. Nearly 100,000 people call the area home, and more than 50 of them have been injured. Two more have died; one who was taking the trash out and another who was mauled to death near his office. On Sunday, an 85-year-old farmer from Kazuno, Akita said that she had been attacked while washing vegetables.
Bears are generally not known to attack unprovoked. Bears with cubs, however, can be very protective. The governor of Akita, Kenta Suzuki, is overwhelmed. He said that “the situation is no longer something the prefecture and municipalities can handle alone.”
