BETSUKAI, Hokkaido—Stray dogs, now a rare sight in urban areas, are becoming a growing concern in rural regions as there have been many reports of livestock attacks in Hokkaido.

In October, two 12-month-old calves were attacked by strays at a communal ranch in Betsukai town.

One calf succumbed to exhaustion, while the other had to be euthanized due to severe injuries.

According to the local Doto-Asahi Japan Agricultural Cooperatives branch, a similar incident occurred in early spring last year.

A 63-year-old rancher said it was the first time he had encountered such an attack in his cattle farming career.

“I wanted to let the cattle graze outside, but now that’s no longer possible,” he said.

Another farmer in the same town said he had occasionally seen stray dogs in the past, but noted, “I feel like their numbers have been increasing over the past 12 to 13 years.”

Many of the dogs are medium-size and appear to belong to the same pack. They display a high level of teamwork and have even been observed herding deer along fences as a group.

Eastern Hokkaido, a region with many livestock farms, has seen multiple cases of such attacks.

The town government suspects they are the work of a specific pack and has set up box traps. However, the dogs are highly cautious, making it difficult to capture them.

Some strays could be former hunting or farm dogs that reverted to wild instincts as they became feral.

In addition, some ranchers are reportedly feeding stray dogs to protect their cattle from wild animals such as bears.

These dogs give birth in places such as the corners of ranches or barns to shield themselves from the cold, leading to an increase in their numbers over time.

DOZENS OF ANNUAL BITE CASES

According to the Environment Ministry, more than 1,000 stray dogs were involved in dog bite cases annually until fiscal 1986. Those numbers have since declined, dropping below 100 per year from fiscal 2011.

Still, dozens of cases occur every year, with 52 stray dogs across 15 prefectures in fiscal 2022.

In Ibaraki town, Ibaraki Prefecture, reports about stray dogs have increased since fiscal 2021, including one about damage to a plastic greenhouse.

By last November, the town captured 681 stray dogs using box traps and other methods. Packs are no longer sighted, according to officials.

ADOPTION OVER CULLING

In Shunan, Yamaguchi Prefecture, the stray dog issue has grown so serious that the mayor made it a key policy pledge.

Over the past five years, the city allocated 44.66 million yen ($282,000) in the initial budgets for initiatives under the “stray dog countermeasure project,” which include campaigns to ban feeding, subsidies for neutering and assistance for dog adoption activities.

Officials have also introduced large remotely operated traps and developed an app for reporting stray dog sightings, which received more than 1,000 reports in 2023 alone.

Okayama city rescues around 150 stray dogs annually. Officials attribute the issue to natural hiding spots and some people feeding the dogs.

Since fiscal 2017, the city has not conducted any culling. Instead, a volunteer-led training project began focusing on preparing adult dogs for adoption from 2020, with most learning to walk on a leash in about three months.

Jun Saeki, a professor of veterinary science at Teikyo University of Science who is well-versed in stray dogs and animal welfare, said stray dog numbers haven’t increased overall, but “more people feeding them may be drawing the dogs closer to residential areas.”

He also warned of the potential spread of infectious diseases, such as echinococcus via tapeworms, through stray dogs and emphasized the need for proactive measures.

Saeki added that even when local governments capture stray dogs, many remain unsocialized and struggle to find new owners.

According to the Environment Ministry, it is difficult to determine whether to treat stray dogs as protected animals or nuisances, leaving municipalities struggling with how to respond.

“Dogs living in the wild, if their range of activity includes areas where people live, should generally be considered protected animals,” a ministry official said.

(This article was written by Yuka Suzuki, Masafumi Kamimura, Akihito Ogawa and Yoichiro Kodera.)