Bears in Japan: Attacks on the rise

Akita: It was a cool autumn morning in the Akita prefecture of northern Japan, and people were on edge.

Travelers, some wearing bells and others carrying repellent spray cans, walked cautiously through the leafy streets. Children were warned to stay at home. Parks were closed with yellow tape: “Do not enter!” – and a menacing silhouette. Troops patrolled the nearby mountains, brandishing shields and setting traps. Drones flew overhead.

The Akita was at war against a 180-kilogram, date-loving foe, the Asian black bear. The animal has been linked to more than 50 attacks and four deaths in the region this year; It’s part of a nationwide offensive by bears that is testing Japan’s traditional belief in harmonious coexistence with nature.

Bears injured elderly residents who were taking out trash and delivering newspapers in Akita. They have infiltrated mushroom hunters and rice farmers, broken into supermarkets and been spotted in schoolyards. A widely circulated video shows an 82-year-old woman being attacked from behind during her morning walk.

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“When you cross the street in Akita now, you look left and right and then look for bears,” said Akihiro Suzuki, a 65-year-old retired government employee who went to the library recently. “You never know when a bear might be around.”

Akita prefecture, home to about 880,000 people, is at the forefront of Japan’s bear crisis, which has permeated the national psyche and drawn an all-out response from the government. This year, approximately 200 people across the country were attacked by bears and 13 people lost their lives. Bears have been spotted in northern ski towns, southern villages and on the outskirts of cities such as Tokyo and Kyoto. The United States, Canada and the United Kingdom have recently issued travel warnings about bears in Japan.

Experts have attributed the increase in attacks in part to climate change, with storms damaging vegetation such as beech trees that produce the nuts that support the bears. The bears have become increasingly brazen in their quest for calories, venturing into urban centers in search of leftovers.

Japan’s demographic changes have also exacerbated the problem. Farming communities served as buffers separating the mountains from more densely populated areas. But as Japan’s population dwindled and aged and young people moved to cities, some rural areas became vacant. Bears are approaching human settlements.

Bears are considered sacred beings in Japan, where approximately 70 percent of its territory consists of mountains and forests. In Hokkaido, Japan’s northernmost island, which has also seen an increase in attacks, the brown bear is revered as a living god in the human realm.

But as public concern grew, concerns about tradition and conservation largely fell by the wayside. The Japanese government this month sent troops to hard-hit areas like Akita to help set traps. Riot police joined forces with the dwindling ranks of hunters to track and kill the bears. Drones, including those that make the sound of barking dogs, have been deployed in parks. A prominent Japanese university recently released a “Bear Encounter AI Prediction Map” to predict bear activity.

Japan amended its strict gun laws this fall to make it easier for hunters to shoot in populated areas. A group of hunters in Tottori prefecture in western Japan recently gathered to practice shooting a bear in an emergency. Two hunters, armed with fake rifles, turned on the “bear”, who was actually a government employee dressed in black and wearing a mask.

Encounters between humans and bears in Japan are likely to continue before and after hibernation, especially in autumn and spring when bears are at their hungriest. The bear population in Japan has increased in recent years and experts say it now exceeds 50,000 in the country of about 124 million people.

In Akita, people are learning to adapt. Now stores open later and close earlier. Mail delivery has been stopped in some areas. Travelers leave home each morning with pocket-sized bells and bear spray containing cayenne pepper extract, which irritates mucous membranes and eyes and can stop a bear attack in seconds. Children no longer walk to school alone.

The attacks added a sombre tone to the peak of the northern fall foliage season, when the region’s fiery maple trees and golden forests usually attract crowds of carefree, selfie-taking visitors.

“People have to go about their daily lives without knowing when they, their families, colleagues or friends will be attacked,” said Maki Koyama, 50, who works at a cultural center in Akita. “The current situation is filled with fear and confusion.”

The government’s effort to eradicate the bears by setting live traps that resemble steel cages and then shooting them has disturbed some traditional hunters, known as matagi. They follow ceremonies intended to return the bears’ souls to heaven. In Akita, bear meat is a local specialty in hot pot restaurants, and bear parts were once sold as medicine.

“Both we and the bears are in trouble,” said Hideo Suzuki, 78, a matagi hunter in Akita. “I feel bad for the bears.”

In recent years, the number of hunters has decreased in Akita, which has contributed to an increase in the bear population. There were once hundreds of hunters in Suzuki’s group; now there are only about three dozen. He said it is difficult to recruit young hunters as rural areas become emptier.

“Young people have nothing to do here,” he said, “so there’s no need for them to come.”

The arrival of reinforcements in Akita this month is intended to help restore a sense of security and calm. The Bears have dominated national news lately; Television channels routinely broadcast safety videos showing what to do in the event of an encounter.

Victims of bear attacks are also speaking out, calling for a strong response. Keiji Minatoya, the owner of a candy store in Akita, was attacked by a bear in his garage two years ago. The bear tore off a piece of his earlobe; When he looked in the mirror he could see part of his skull. The bear attacked 4 more people in his neighborhood that day.

Minatoya, who still feels some numbness and tingling in his head and has a scar on his face, said culling the bear population was a “necessary evil.” He said he wished he could kill and eat the bear that attacked him.

“They are more aggressive than I thought and incredibly strong for their size,” he said. “They are extremely fast, strong and aggressive.”

In Akita, business owners said they’ve seen a decline in foot traffic because people are afraid to go out. Tourists still trek to the area, but they are shortening their itineraries or staying indoors.

“It’s not worth the risk of being eaten,” said Teresa Liu, a visitor from Taiwan.

Senshu Park, known for its cherry trees and cypresses, has been closed multiple times following bear sightings this fall. Traps were set in the park and workers flew drones overhead to look for bears.

Just around the corner, Rumi Uematsu, 55, runs a toy store and after-school program. He was concerned about the impact of the bear crisis on young children already enduring the restrictions of the COVID-19 era.

“They finally regained their freedom, and now they have to live with anxiety again,” Uematsu said.

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One night last month, Uematsu woke up to the sound of a bear growling in front of his house. Nervously, he opened his window, but the bear was gone.

“We need to think of new countermeasures,” he said. “All we can do now is take immediate action and hope.”

This article was first published on: New York Times.

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