Bears in Japan delay hibernation after finding food in residential areas, expert
Wildlife experts warn that bears in Japan are postponing hibernation because they have learned to find food in residential areas. Continued sightings and attacks this winter highlight the risks, with calls for communities to remove attractants such as abandoned persimmon trees, Qazinform News Agency cites Kyodo.
On December 4, two newspaper delivery workers in Toyama Prefecture and a woman in her 60s in Iwate Prefecture were injured in separate bear attacks. The Environment Ministry reported that by December 17, local authorities had carried out 10 bear emergency shootings in Iwate, Niigata, Toyama, and Yamagata prefectures.
“Bears begin hibernation when food disappears in the mountains, not simply when temperatures drop,” explained Naoki Onishi, animal ecology and genetics team leader at the Forestry and Forest Products Research Institute. He noted that some bears remain active near human dwellings, while others are disturbed from shallow hibernation by noise. Cubs left alone after captures may also wander into towns, lacking hibernation experience.
Last year, the city of Tokamachi, Niigata Prefecture, received its last report of a bear sighting in November. This year, however, bears have continued to be spotted in December.
Officials stress the need for collective action to make residential areas less accessible to wildlife by cutting down abandoned fruit trees, mowing vacant lots, and reducing food sources to prevent further bear-human conflicts.
As written before, Japan deploys AI cameras to speed bear alerts.
