TOKYO, Japan: A bear that wandered into Utsunomiya, a metropolis simply north of Tokyo, and frightened residents was captured on June 9 after a number of days of panic that led to the closure of all colleges.
The bear, weighing about 100 kg (220 lbs), was first seen on June 6 close to a park in Utsunomiya, which has a inhabitants of round 500,000 folks.
It was final noticed early on June 9, about 700 meters from a college campus, in line with metropolis officers.
Officials mentioned they obtained dozens of stories of bear sightings over the subsequent few days, together with close to a library, colleges, and a neighborhood heart. This led authorities to shut all city-run colleges on Monday and Tuesday.
The metropolis issued warnings on social media and used a public announcement car to advise residents to remain inside buildings or automobiles in the event that they encountered the bear, to lock doorways and home windows, and to keep away from placing out rubbish at evening.
On the afternoon of June 9, the bear was discovered on non-public property and was shot with a tranquilizer gun by a veterinarian, mentioned metropolis official Ryuhei Irie. No one was harm.
City officers used a drone to trace the bear after it was seen earlier that day close to a college campus, prompting the cancellation of all courses.
Asiatic black bears are thought of a weak species worldwide, however their numbers in Japan are believed to have tripled since 2012, partly as a consequence of much less looking.
Experts say local weather change has diminished the availability of pure meals for bears, corresponding to acorns and beechnuts. At the identical time, shrinking rural populations and extra deserted farmland have inspired bears to maneuver nearer to human settlements seeking meals.
The incident in Utsunomiya is one other instance of bears more and more getting into areas with fewer and older residents in Japan.
Last week, one other bear attacked 4 folks in a residential space of Fukushima in northeastern Japan, inflicting reasonable accidents.
In March, the Japanese authorities estimated the nation’s bear inhabitants at about 57,800. Officials have launched a plan to handle the bear inhabitants that requires systematic measures.