When human civilization and wildlife compete over limited territory, there will be problems. Japan has seen several bear attacks and some deaths this year. In certain mountainous areas, bear sightings have tripled over last year.
In response, the police in Tochigi Prefecture, 100 kilometers north of Tokyo, are taking a page from the training that Japanese zoos have always conducted. They partnered with a local hunters club to stage a bear attack drill, featuring a man dressed as a bear. Or at least he had a bear head, designating his role in the drill. Without the head, he'd look like a portly movie ninja. They practiced scaring the bear away with fireworks and the proper way to approach a bear that has been shot or tranquilized. Apparently, that involves poking it in the butt with a stick. It's good that the video is clearly labeled "drill," as otherwise it would be terrifying. -via Metafilter
Newest 1 Comment
There are 9 bears in our neighborhood this year (North coast California). Seems to be a good year for them everywhere. They raided my kitchen 3x in July and apples aren't even ripe yet. We all tend to get along pretty well because they avoid people (we don't kill them / they don't kill us) but now there's 2 sets of cubs. People living near the canyons tend to have dogs and carry bear spray. Some kind of "Living with Bears" class seems like a good idea. Here's a link to a DIY bear chaser: https://www.instructables.com/Coon-Bear-Chasing-Mousetrap-protects-fruit-trees-a/
Abusive comment hidden.
(Show it anyway.)