Damaged by black bears The worst ever in Japan 149 injuries since April 19:39 on December 20

However, since April, the number of people injured by being attacked by black bears around the country was 149, nearly three times that of the previous year, and it has been the largest since the country began taking statistics. It was. Experts say, “Because it has entered hibernation, there are still bears that move, so be careful.”

NHK interviewed 32 prefectures inhabited by Asiatic black bears, but since April, 149 people in 23 prefectures have been injured, including one in Miyagi prefecture. Died.

This was nearly three times that of the previous year, which was 50, last year, surpassing 147 in FY2010, the largest number since FY2004 when the Ministry of the Environment began collecting statistics, and the worst damage since the start of statistics. It has become.

The number of damages was 37 in October, 31 in November, and 3 in December. The number of damage decreased in December, but on December 8, there was no damage since 1992, 27 years ago. In addition to being injured by a woman who was taking a walk in the prefecture, Minami Uonuma City, Niigata Prefecture, found three bears that appeared to have hibernated after entering the warehouse of the clinic.

"New generation bears" as a background of mass appearance

Experts have pointed out that bears are spreading their habitats in addition to the bad harvest of bears such as beech and Mizunara in the mountains.

Black bears are less fertile than other wild animals such as wild boars and deer, and the number of bears decreased in the 1990s in Japan. Classified as endangered.

For these reasons, in each prefecture where black bears inhabit, we are taking measures to prevent the number of inhabitants from dropping significantly, such as by refraining from hunting or setting an upper limit on the number of kills.

Professor Toru Ooi of Ishikawa Prefectural University, who is familiar with bear ecology, said, “The number of bears is recovering and the distribution has been expanding since 2000. The habitat extends from the back of the mountain to“ Satoyama, ”which is close to the village. As a result, the number of bears familiar to humans, called the “new generation bears”, is increasing, which makes it easier for humans to suffer personal injury. ”

How do bears and people live together?

Local governments and local communities continue to search for ways to prevent damage to humans by bears and to protect the environment where wild bears live.

The Hyogo Prefectural Forest Animal Research Center in Tamba City, Hyogo Prefecture is working to elucidate ecology by examining the number of bears and the range of behavior, and to take appropriate measures based on scientific data.

At the center, the bears with embedded microchips are released to the mountains, the proportion of the bears that have been captured again is examined, and the percentage of the plants that feed and the number of bear sightings are taken into account. Guess the total number of bears you have.

In this way, the number of inhabitants is calculated every year, and as a result of the survey, it was found that there are about 830 bears in Hyogo Prefecture, and the number is increasing year by year.

By accurately grasping the number of inhabitants, it is possible to set the upper limit of the number of bears to be killed properly, and to prevent the number of inhabitants from decreasing too much.

The Center has also been working on the range of bear behavior for three years.

By attaching a collar with GPS to the bear and grasping the bear's movement route and whereabouts from the location information sent every two hours, it can be linked to specific measures such as damage prevention. .

According to Mayumi Yokoyama, Director of the Hyogo Prefectural Forest Animal Research Center, “By taking and collecting data over the long term, we will take measures while monitoring the state of nature. The mid- to long-term goal is for the human side to make a firm relationship where the bears will run away even if they meet. "

Survey of the number of inhabitants Only conducted in 8 prefectures every year

On the other hand, NHK interviewed 32 prefectures where black bears inhabit, and 27 prefectures answered that they conducted a survey on the number of bears. There are only 4 prefectures, including Hyogo prefecture, which conducts behavioral surveys using 8 prefectures.

From the local government officials, “Surveys are costly, but it is difficult to realize and continue because the need is not understood and the budget is not attached,” or “there are no specialized personnel, so it takes time to prepare. Etc. "was heard.