In Japan's aging society, it's mechanical wolves versus bears

 In Japan's aging society, it's mechanical wolves versus bears

Animals flee for safety at the sight of this beast, which has dazzling red eyes, bone-chilling growls, and bared teeth. But this wolf is not your typical wolf, or even a real one.

Authorities utilize this artificial wolf, which was first created to deter wild animals from approaching farms, to prevent bears from invading cities and harming citizens.

According to Wolf Kamuy President Motohiro Miyasaka, the robot's installation in Takikawa City in the autumn of 2020 was the first time the robot beast was deployed to ward against bears.

Since then, several regional administrations have placed orders for the Monster Wolf, a moniker that accurately describes what it is.

Although bear assaults are regular in Japan, they have been increasing alarmingly recently, according to police.

According to experts, migration away from rural farming areas is the main cause. This is due to a change in Japanese lifestyle, especially among young people.

According to Shinsuke Koike, an educator at the Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology whose research focuses on bears, the natural world, and forest ecosystems, "Japan's urban population is growing and younger people don't want to live in or near mountains."

Many of them have left their little towns or villages, which have been getting smaller over the past few decades due to an aging population, and moved to larger cities.

More and more, Mr. Koike explained to the BBC, "rural farmlands in the foothills that once served as buffer zones around the bears and humans are disappearing."

Young bears have subsequently wandered into untamed woodlands over the years, living closer to cities, becoming accustomed to bright lights and loud noises, and growing less wary of people.

Because their habitat has moved from the mountains to the flatlands nearer to human settlements, they are straying into residential areas.

More than 150 bear assaults have occurred on Hokkaido during the previous 60 years. One of the bloodiest years on record, 2021 saw at least four fatalities and ten injuries.

The most extreme part of Hokkaido is home to the fiercer brown bears. The rest of Japan is populated by Asian black bears. They are less aggressive but no less dangerous because of the cream-colored crescent mark on their chests that identifies them.

At a time when Japan's human population is aging and declining, the bear population is also growing in that country. According to government statistics, there are about 12,000 brown bears in the Hokkaido region, and about 10,000 Asian black bears, according to some specialists.

When bears emerge from their hibernation in April in search of food, then again in September and October when they consume to store fat for the winter, bear sightings and incidents are common. However, fatal assaults are uncommon.

However, according to statistics, if there are more assaults and injuries, there would likely be more fatalities, said Mr. Koike.

Acorns are the main source of food for bears, so the issue has gotten worse as a result of climate change.

Typically, acorn harvests follow a boom-and-bust cycle. A bumper harvest in the fall might portend a disappointing harvest the following year, and crop destruction from violent storms, which are more often now due to climate change, can make a bad year much worse.

This year, where are all the acorns?

Other effects of global warming may also be felt by oak trees. A 2015 study revealed that the disruption of pollination brought on by warmer temperatures may result in lesser acorn crops.

Because they typically blossom at the same time, oak trees can cross-pollinate more successfully.

However, as a result of global warming, warmer springtimes increase the blooming season and result in less synchronized flowering in oak trees. According to Tim Sparks, a professor at Coventry University and one of the study's authors, this can lower acorn harvests in the autumn by roughly 20%.

Even more bears might enter people's backyards in quest of food if subsequent low harvests continue.

How to bring the bears back into the mountains is what we need to consider doing right away, according to Mr. Koike.

However, there is no obvious answer.

According to Tsutomu Mano, a research biologist at the Hokkaido Research Organization who spoke with local media, the fundamental issue is that few government employees have experience managing wildlife, and government ministries don't work well together to address the problem.

Authorities are unsure of how to handle the situation, Mr. Koike said, beyond instructing people on how to react during bear encounters and depending on an aging population of hunters.

Many attacks in the past occurred when people ventured far into bear habitat, prior to the decline of rural populations and the dampened acorn harvests. But that has now been reversed.

They are making an effort, but this is a brand-new issue for them, said Mr. Koike.