KARUIZAWA: Thousands of bears are being shot in Japan each year as they become more and more of a problem. Junpei Tanaka and his dog Rela, straining at her leash in the woods, have a kinder, smarter way.
People moving from rural areas and Japan’s ageing society – plus climate change affecting bears’ food and hibernation time – are prompting ever more of the hungry animals to approach towns.
Reliable data is hard to find but bear numbers also appear to have rocketed, with one newspaper estimating they had roughly tripled in 11 years in some places. Sightings have almost doubled this year.
The increasing frequency of these powerful animals – which in the case of brown bears can weigh half a tonne (£1,100) and outrun a human – coming into contact with people has created alarming headlines.
This year is on track to be the deadliest for humans since the government started collating data in 2006, with six people killed by bears, including one elderly woman in her garden in October.
The severed head of a fisherman was found by a lake in May. A bear was reportedly spotted with his waders dangling from its mouth.
Another 212 people, also a record, have been injured in attacks.
One bear attacked six people in a single day in October, including an 83-year-old woman and a schoolgirl waiting for a bus in the northern town of Kitaakita.
ANIMAL-LOVERS
It’s been far worse for the bears.
On average over the past five years, 4,895 have been killed each year, according to figures from the Environment Ministry.
As of Nov 30, 6,287 have died in this fiscal year (to March), around 2,000 of them in November alone. Usually, they are shot.
“This year, it’s expected to go as high as 8,000,” said Tanaka, 50, a bear expert who works for the Picchio Wildlife Research Center.