By KAI ICHINO/ Staff Writer
April 17, 2024 at 16:10 JST
"Higuma" brown bears (Asahi Shimbun file photo)
With bear attacks on humans at a record level, the Environment Ministry announced on April 16 that two species have been added to a list that allows for central government subsidies for culling and research purposes.
“Higuma” brown bears and “tsukinowaguma” Asiatic black bears were included on the designated controlled birds and animals list.
Prefectural governments will be asked to develop systems to better understand the current status of bears.
The central government will also support recruiting and training personnel to strengthen bear countermeasures.
According to the ministry, bears were mainly spotted in the Tohoku region in fiscal 2023.
That year, 219 humans were injured in bear attacks, the highest ever on record, and six of those people were killed.
The number of bears captured in 2023 also marked a record high at 9,319.
In February, the ministry’s panel of experts proposed adding both species of bears to the controlled animals list.
Along with the addition, the Environment Ministry announced that a set of bear damage control measures will be undertaken in cooperation with the agriculture ministry and the land ministry.
These measures will include supplementing the development of buffer zones between humans and forest animals; the installation of electric fences; the creation of bear-encounter manuals and training materials; and the recruitment and training of specialized personnel and bear-trapping technicians in local municipalities.
Since excessive bear culling could have a negative impact on the ecosystem, prefectural governments will be asked to first collect data on the bear population and distribution.
Wildlife experts: ‘Protect bears by better protecting people’
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Ministry to send experts to deal with bear attack crisis in Japan
November 1, 2023
Brown bears spotted in Hokkaido in the middle of winter
March 10, 2022
VOX POPULI: Nagano NPO employs dogs to keep humans safe from bears
November 2, 2023
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