- The number of people injured or killed by a bear in Japan is higher than ever
- Experts believe this is due to food shortages.
After centuries of coexistence with humans, Japanese bears, which normally eat plants and insects, have gone feral, killing and injuring more people than ever.
According to the public broadcaster NHK, Bear attacks are increasing in Japan. In 2023, there were a record 219 incidents, including six deaths, he reported.
Last May, a fisherman was feared to have been eaten by a bear after a human head and boots were seen hanging from a bear’s mouth on the Japanese island of Hokkaido.
Last year, 54-year-old fisherman Toshihiro Nishikawa was dropped off at a remote lakeside fishing spot in Horokanaion, but did not return.
File image showing an adult female brown bear chasing salmon on the Shiretoko Peninsula, Hokkaido.
The number of people injured or killed by bear attacks in Japan in 2023 exceeded 200 for the first time
A boat operator who provided transportation to Nishikawa on the lake reportedly witnessed a bear that had fishing boots hanging from its mouth earlier that day. The remains of a human head were later discovered near the place where the fisherman had last been seen.
While the bears primarily eat vegetarians and insects, experts believe that last summer’s heavy rains, followed by a drought, reduced the insect population and the fruit harvest that the bears enjoy before their hibernation.
In April, Masato Fukuda was slightly injured in his encounter with a pair of bears on Thursday morning. Here he appears speaking to Japanese television station NHK.
As a result, this has forced them to seek alternative food sources, and experts speculate that they may have acquired a taste for meat.
Japanese authorities have urged people to remain alert amid increasing bear attacks.
According The GuardianJapan’s bear population is increasing: a recent estimate puts the number of black bears at 44,000, up from an estimated 15,000 in 2012. This does not include Hokkaido, which is believed to be home to about 12,000 Ussuri brown bears.
Conservationists have called for more to be done to improve bears’ natural habitats, while bear shootings have been heavily criticized.
Last month, Japanese media reported that a 50-year-old karate expert managed to fend off a bear attack.
Masato Fukuda was slightly injured in his encounter with a pair of bears in April in the town of Nayoro, on the northern island of Hokkaido.
He was walking to see a waterfall in the mountainous area of Nayoro around 10:30 a.m. when he came across the two brown bears poking their faces out of the bushes, Japanese media reported.
The two bears chose the wrong person to mess with when they approached the 50-year-old man, who was visiting the forested area from Toyota City.
One of them approached him, but, unfortunately for the animal, Mr. Fukuda had experience in the martial art of karate.
However, measures are being introduced to curb increasing bear attacks.
Toyama prefecture in central Japan is planning to test an AI have an alert system following the record number of attacks as the animals struggled to find food, Fortune reported.
The pilot system will monitor live feeds from government, municipal and private security cameras to identify bears in areas close to humans. If successful, the plan will be implemented in other parts of Japan with large bear populations.