The State Department issued a" wildlife alert" on Wednesday advising Americans to stay down from locales where bears have been spotted, particularly if they're wandering alone, and to be aware of their surroundings. A bear should be reported to the original authorities by anyone who sees one.
According to AFP, since April, bears have murdered at least 13 people in Japan, which is more than twice as many as the five fatalities during the 2023–2024 fiscal year. Since Japan started collecting such records in 2006, this is the highest number of bear deaths in the nation's history. Statistics from the Environment Ministry as of the end of October show that over 100 additional people had been injured since April.
The majority of the assaults have taken place in northern Japan. The State Department sent a notice to the Prefectures of Hokkaido and Akita, as well as Sapporo City, where authorities closed a park adjacent to the U.S. Consulate General due to a bear sighting.
Recently, troops were sent to Akita to keep the animals under control.
According to the State Department, Americans should subscribe up for the Smart- traveller Registration Program, which facilitates entering security announcements from the agency and makes it simpler to find Americans in an emergency.
Every nation in the globe has received a recognized travel advice, and the State Department frequently issues warnings. The travel alert level for Japan is still 1, which means visitors should "exercise normal precautions."
"Then that area recovered to the forest, so bears have a chance to expand their range,"
biologist Koji Yamazaki, from Tokyo University of Agriculture, told CBS News' Elizabeth Palmer in 2023.
Few precautions have been adopted recently, and older local hunters are not accustomed to bear hunting. The bears' hibernation schedules and the nutrients they rely on have also been altered by climate change.
There are two different kinds of bears in Japan, the larger brown bears that inhabit the main northern islet of Hokkaido, and the Asian black bears, also called moon bears, that are set up all throughout the country's landmass.
Brown bears can outpace people and weigh further than 1,100 pounds. The International Association for Bear Research and Management states that Asian black bears are rovers and weigh little further than 440 pounds. Every time, thousands of bears are killed in Japan.
How are Japanese authorities managing and preventing bear attacks?
Japan’s tone-Defense Forces have been stationed substantially in Akita Prefecture to help authorities in setting, checking, and transporting box traps designed to capture bears. The troops give logistical support but aren't allowed to shoot bears under current laws.
Local governments and police conduct details around townlets and domestic areas to cover bear exertion and help bear intrusions into homes, seminaries, supermarkets, and sightseer resorts. Bear repellent sprays and partiers like bells are encouraged to discourage bears in affected communities.
Japan’s Tourism Agency is subsidizing defensive walls around popular sightseer hot springs to reduce bear hassles near lodging . Despite these measures, efforts are challenged by a deficit of nimrods (numerous are senior) and the growing bear population exceeding natural niche capacity.