Damage caused by Asiatic black bears 2.5 times last year Infested in urban areas

Damage caused by Asiatic black bear 2.5 times last year Infested in urban area November 8th 15:21

However, since April, 125 people have been injured by being attacked by Asiatic black bears nationwide, which was 125 times, 2.5 times the previous year. . There are also a series of infestations in areas such as the center of the city that are not seen in the usual years, and experts say "Beware of this month before bears go into hibernation".

NHK interviewed 32 prefectures in Japan where black bears inhabited, and there were 125 people in 21 prefectures who were injured by being attacked by bears from April to 7th. One of them died.

This is 2.5 times the previous year, which was 50 people, and is the second largest after 147 people in 2010, the most frequent of the last 10 years.

By prefecture, Niigata has the largest number with 17 people, followed by Iwate with 16 people, Akita and Gifu with 13 people, Toyama with 9 people, Fukushima with 8 people, Fukui and Nagano with 7 people.

In addition, 24 prefectures, or 75% of the interviewed prefectures, replied that “bearing habits are increasing”, and more than half of 17 prefectures are “areas that do not appear habitable in normal areas, such as the center of urban areas. "

Professor Toru Ooi of Ishikawa Prefectural University, who is familiar with the ecology of Asiatic black bears, said, “Although there are regional differences, plants that feed on bears are badly harvested nationwide, making it a year of“ massive habit ”. Most of the bears go into hibernation if they enter the area, but they are expected to continue to appear and seek habitats in the village for the entire month, and vigilance and countermeasures are necessary. "

Abnormal infestation in urban areas

In Katsuyama City, Fukui Prefecture, bears have appeared in the center of the city since last month, and five people have been attacked and injured.

On the 22nd of last month, a man in his 70s who had been feeding the carp was suddenly attacked by a bear from behind, near the entrance of the city's educational hall near the city hall. Over the three days, two bears that were sitting on trees in a residential area were exterminated, and not only the area along the mountain, but also the appearance and damage of bears in the city center.

The city has set up a “Countermeasures Warning Liaison Room”, and bears the risk of bears hiding in the city area. The city has received reports on bear appearances and damage in a 24-hour posture and is taking measures such as strengthening patrols.

In addition, in public facilities in the city, in order to prevent the invasion of bears, measures that prioritize safety over convenience are taken, such as switching the automatic door to manual and not automatically opening it.

Mr. Mikio Mizukami, director of the Katsuyama City Bear Countermeasures Alert Office, said, “There is a considerable number of bears lurking in vacant spaces and bushes in urban areas, causing damage. It ’s a good condition, so I ’d like you to be very careful when walking around the city early in the morning or evening. ”

“I want to harvest strawberries but I ca n’t do it”

Many prefectures cited the “bad or bad crops of plants that feed on bears, such as beech and mizunara,” as a cause of the increase and decrease of bears' appearance and damage, and “bears come to eat the fruit of oak trees in villages etc. Answer.

For this reason, local governments with a series of bear appearances are calling on residents to quickly harvest firewood in the village.

On the other hand, the reality is that there are many people who are difficult to take countermeasures by themselves because of aging and population decline.

The oak tree on the grounds of an 81-year-old woman's home in Katsuyama City, Fukui Prefecture is still fruiting.

There are many bears in this area, but they say they can't catch firewood themselves.

The woman said, "I think I have to take a kite, but it's already so old that I can't climb high places."

Such measures

In the Tabuki area of ​​Akiota-cho, in the mountains of Hiroshima Prefecture, we are continuing to take measures to prevent the bears from snoring with the help of people outside the region.

In the district, local people have worked with NPOs in Hiroshima City to harvest firewood since 19 years before the bears came to the village to eat them.

The event was held in late last month, and about 30 people participated from local people as well as from Hiroshima city about 60 km away.

Many of the harvested cocoons are still astringent with green color, but they are harvested early so as not to become bear food.

The astringents cannot be eaten as they are, but the participants taught the locals that they could eat them after they were sweetened and ripened if they made “dried rice cakes”, etc., and purchased the harvested rice cakes one after another.

A man who participated from Hiroshima City said, “It ’s so much fun because I can come here and the locals can say“ help ”.”

In this area, the number of bears inhabited has also decreased significantly, a local hunter association man said, “I think the effect is enormous. Bears will not come out if the bait is removed anyway. I think it will also lead to segregation. "

On the other hand, in Fujiyoshida City, Yamanashi Prefecture, an incorporated association commissioned by the council established by (Fujiyoshida) City cuts oak trees left by vacant lots and roadsides and the oak trees that the owner cannot harvest by themselves Is doing.

By cutting the tree itself, it is said that there is no need to harvest the fruits that are not eaten, leading to drastic countermeasures, and that prefectures and cities are making efforts every year with a budget.

Expert "Possibility to continue infesting"

Professor Toru Ooi of Ishikawa Prefectural University who is the representative of NGO's “Japan Bear Network” and is familiar with the ecology of Asiatic black bears, there is a possibility that bears will continue to appear in the future if there is food such as firewood near the place where people live It points out that there is.

Prof. Oi said, “Bears go into hibernation without food, but if some food, such as coconuts, is left in the village, it may be late for them to search for food and go into hibernation. The chances of encountering them at a close distance increase, and the possibility of taking aggressive and aggressive actions is high.There is a possibility that it will appear in the whole of November, and even in December when many bears hibernate, It ’s possible that there are still bears to act, so be careful. ”