Japan City Still on Alert for Wild Bears
The city of Utsunomiya in Japan has canceled classes for another day amid fears a recently tranquilized black bear may not be the only one roaming the area. The fear shows growing conflict between people and bears in Japan, as bears move into populated areas and sometimes attack people.
Bear Scare in Japan: Utsunomiya on Alert as Wild Bear Roams City
REPORTER:
The police are out in force in Japan’s Tochigi Prefecture.
REPORTER:
And the press is too.
REPORTER:
Helicopters take to the air, joining this search from above. It looks like a manhunt. But the target of this operation isn’t a criminal suspect—it’s a wild animal.
REPORTER:
For days, a wild black bear has terrified the residents of Utsunomiya. More than a dozen sightings led the city to suspend classes at all of its 94 elementary and middle schools for two days. Residents watched anxiously as the hunt for the roughly 100-kilogram bear unfolded.
Ebisawa Isamu (RESIDENT):
It was near my house, so first I told my family not to go out, and I just kept watching it. Then it climbed back up again.
REPORTER:
Japan is a country where bears and humans are coming into more and more deadly conflict, even in cities. Officials recorded over 200 bear attacks last year, 13 of them fatal. Just last week, a bear in another part of Japan injured four people. So in Utsunomiya, even people who’ve never come across a bear were on the alert.
Miyagawa Wataru (RESIDENT):
This is the first time something like that has happened here. I was surprised, and my home is nearby.
REPORTER:
In the end, a local zookeeper brought the panic to an end. It took him three shots with a tranquilizer gun to hit his target.
Iso (ZOOKEEPER):
I found some places I could take the shot—three in total. One of them was dangerous for me to shoot from, and another was too close, so I wasn’t sure. But the closest one ended up being the easiest to shoot from, so I took the shot there.
REPORTER:
But the city isn’t in the clear yet. Classes are canceled Wednesday, too, amid reports there may be more than just that one bear roaming the area.
REPORTER:
There’s also a much bigger question: can Japan live with its bears as they make their way into more populated areas?
REPORTER:
In March, the government estimated there might be around 58,000 bears in the country. And, with official plans to control those numbers including culls, it looks like Japan’s bear problem isn’t ending soon.
