Bear attacks on livestock and people in Japan are on the rise, writes The Times.
Only in the second half of May, three major incidents involving bears were registered in the country. On the 21st on the island of Hokkaido, a bear broke into a barn, attacked four calves and ate their entrails. Three days later, a predator crept into the home of an elderly couple on the island of Honshu at night and severely injured them. Earlier in May, a bear killed a 64-year-old man who was collecting bamboo shoots in Honshu, Akita Prefecture. When the police arrived at the scene, the animal rushed towards them and chased them away, guarding the victim.
Many experts believe that in recent years bears, which previously tried to avoid populated areas and ate forest prey, have “gone out of control” and have become addicted not only to the flesh of cattle, but also to human flesh. “I personally saw about 40 bears. Bears are everywhere. They don't go away even if you set off a firework right in front of them. "They are constantly wandering around," complained a representative of the Akita authorities.
From March 2023 to March 2024, 219 bear attacks on humans were recorded in Japan, the highest number since records were kept. In November 2023, a predator ate a student who went on a hiking trip to Hokkaido. It has only been identified through DNA analysis. Bears have killed six Japanese people in just one year.
As the publication notes, bears feed mainly on insects, berries and roots in the forest. However, in 2023, the country experienced heavy rains, and then a drought, which led to a significant decrease in the number of insects. It is believed that this may be the reason for predator attacks on humans.
Many more wild deer have appeared in Japan in recent years as there are fewer and fewer professional hunters. According to some experts, the bears began to hunt deer more often and became addicted to the meat. Also, many hunters leave carcasses in the forest and they become prey for predators. At the same time, the reduction in the number of hunters does not allow effective control of the bear population.