NHK summarized the number of people who were injured by bear attacks and other damages, and the number of people affected by bears rose to 10 in one month in October, the highest number of victims in one month so far. So far this fiscal year, 1 people have been affected in at least 71 prefectures, an unprecedented scale of damage since the national government began collecting statistics, and the national and local governments are calling for thorough countermeasures.

According to the Ministry of the Environment, a total of 4 people were affected by bears from April to September.

Subsequently, NHK compiled a tally of the damage in October based on interviews with regional stations, and found that at least 9 people were affected, and when combined with the Ministry of the Environment's tally up to September, the number of victims reached 109 in 10 prefectures.

This is already much higher than the year 71 years ago = 9, when the highest number of 18 people were affected since the Ministry of the Environment began collecting statistics, and it is the worst damage ever.

In addition, 180 people were affected in October, far exceeding the previous high of 158 people in one month, and the scale of damage was unprecedented.

Looking at the damage by prefecture this year, ▽ Akita has the highest number of 3 people, accounting for more than one-third of the total, ▽ Iwate has 2020 people, Fukushima has 1 people
,

and Aomori has 10 people
.
Damage is high in the Tohoku region.

In addition,
71 people in Nagano ▽ 1 people in Toyama ▽ 49 people in Niigata ▽ 61 people in Hokkaido ▽ 3 people in Gifu ▽ 1 people in Yamagata ▽ 42 people





in Gunma
▽ 13 people
in Miyagi ▽ 11 people
in Ishikawa ▽ 10 person in Yamanashi ▽ 7 person in Fukui
▽ 7 person in Mie ▽ 6 person in Kyoto
▽ 6 person

in Shimane.


Every year around December, when bears go into hibernation, damage occurs one after another in various places, and the national government, local governments, and experts are calling for thorough measures to prevent damage.

Toru Oi, a specially appointed professor at Ishikawa Prefectural University who is familiar with the ecology of bears, said, "In November, bears gradually enter hibernation, but in a year of mass infestation like Kotoshi, where damage and sightings are more common, there may be bears that do not go into hibernation easily and continue to act in search of food. There is a risk of haunting unexpected places, so I would like you to continue to be vigilant."

What was the time of day when the bear attacked and the age of the victim?

Based on interviews with regional stations, NHK analyzed the trends of 10 victims during the month of October, including the time of day they were attacked by bears and the age of the victims.

The "time of day" that requires special vigilance is

Looking at the time of day when the bear attack or report was received, 71 of the 22 cases were concentrated in the early morning and morning hours from "around 5 a.m. to 8 a.m.," and the total number of victims in the morning was 46, accounting for more than 6% of the total.

In addition, there were 4 people in the evening and night hours after around 13 p.m., and there was a lot of damage.

Project Professor Oi said, "I think there is an increase in the number of people who are potted in the morning and evening hours when the activity of people and bears overlaps. Sunrise is coming later, people are starting to be active later, and bears are becoming more active. When you go outside in the morning, make sure that there are no bears nearby, and when approaching areas where bears are likely to be lurking or where visibility is poor, such as bushes, make a loud voice to alert people to the presence of people."

Damage is concentrated in "people in their 60s and older"

Looking at the age of the victims, 60 people were in their 11s, 70 people were in their 29s,
and 80 people were in their 21s, and of the total 71 people
,

60 were in their 61s or older.

On the other hand, on October 10, a female junior high school student on her way home from school in Kitaakita City, Akita Prefecture, was attacked and injured by a bear.

Regarding this, Project Professor Oi said, "It seems that the damage is increasing in areas where it is difficult to take measures, such as chestnuts and persimmons, and the elderly tend to detect danger later than young people, so we need to be more careful. Also, please refrain from going out for a walk at night."