YAMAGUCHI, May 28, 2026 (News On Japan) –
Black bears trapped inside field cages have been filmed thrashing about violently and trying to lunge at handlers, as a pointy rise in bear sightings throughout Japan this spring raises issues amongst native communities and hunters alike.
In footage captured within the mountainous areas of Iwakuni in Yamaguchi Prefecture, a number of bears had been seen displaying unusually aggressive habits. On May sixteenth, an grownup black bear measuring round one meter in size was caught in a field lure initially supposed for wild boars.
Mamoru Masakane, head of the Miwa Hunting Association, mentioned the variety of captures this 12 months has risen sharply in contrast with earlier years.
“Last year we caught about one bear by May. This year we’ve already captured three in May alone,” Masakane mentioned. “I think there are simply more bears. The mountains may have reached saturation point, and because of food shortages they are coming down closer to residential areas.”
In one other video, a trapped bear may very well be seen tearing bark from a tree with its sharp claws and fangs because it tried to flee. After the animal was eliminated, deep harm to the tree remained.
“It had torn it apart quite badly,” the one that filmed the footage mentioned.
The bear, measuring round one meter lengthy, was later culled.
Bear sightings have continued to unfold throughout Yamaguchi Prefecture, the westernmost prefecture on Japan’s primary island of Honshu. According to the prefecture’s publicly out there “Kumappu” bear map, sightings have been concentrated in japanese areas together with Iwakuni, although a sighting was additionally reported within the western metropolis of Shimonoseki on May twenty fifth.
Masakane warned that the getting older of looking affiliation members is turning into a major problem.
“In another five years, once people of our generation are gone, there may be nobody left,” he mentioned. “There aren’t many young people joining. Hunting associations themselves are becoming an endangered species. Bears will just roam around freely.”
As the breeding season approaches, bears are additionally increasing their vary in different components of Japan.
In Wakkanai, Hokkaido, two bears had been seen crossing a highway at round 10 p.m. on May twenty third.
“Isn’t that a bear? It’s a bear! This is bad!” the individual filming exclaimed.
The bears shortly ran away from the scene.
On May seventh in Tomakomai, a big brown bear native to Hokkaido was additionally seen calmly strolling alongside a highway.
“Bear, bear, bear! This is bad… it’s huge!” the witness shouted.
The animal was considerably bigger than the black bears generally seen on Honshu, although consultants warn that black bears are additionally extremely harmful and will by no means be underestimated.
In Tono, Iwate Prefecture, a bear entered a residential property on the morning of May twenty sixth and killed one hen saved in a coop.
“It broke this part here and entered from there,” a resident mentioned whereas pointing to the egg assortment hatch.
Bear footprints had been later discovered on the wall of the shed.
“It probably wasn’t a very large bear,” the resident added.
No folks had been injured within the incident.
As experiences of bear encounters improve nationwide, demand has surged for a rising vary of anti-bear merchandise, together with one gadget marketed as a last-resort defensive software.
Makoto Sato, who runs Genseirin Kuma Kobo in Iwate Prefecture, developed what he calls a “Bear Repellent Pole.”
“This is meant as a final measure to protect your face and keep some distance from the bear,” Sato defined.
Sato mentioned the thought got here from a near-fatal expertise three years in the past whereas mushroom choosing within the mountains of Iwaizumi, Iwate Prefecture. During the encounter, he fought off a bear utilizing a picket stick and narrowly escaped critical damage.
“When a bear approaches, it usually stands up,” Sato mentioned. “At that moment, you thrust the pole forward hard. The goal is to stop bear punches or bites from reaching your body.”
When tv reporters examined the product, they remarked on its gentle weight and durable building.
“It’s surprisingly light, but it doesn’t feel fragile,” one reporter mentioned.
“It’s stronger than it looks,” Sato replied.
After launching on-line gross sales of the “Bear Repellent Pole” within the spring of 2025, orders shortly flooded in.
The Aomori Prefectural Police have additionally adopted the gadget, and officers had been seen carrying the poles throughout a latest incident involving a bear that barricaded itself inside a resort.
“In just over a year we’ve sold more than 1,000 poles,” Sato mentioned. “Production can’t keep up with demand.”
Still, Sato emphasised that a very powerful protection is avoiding encounters altogether by utilizing bear bells and different deterrents.
“The repellent pole is only a final resort,” he mentioned.
Source: FNN