Japan enlists the army to fight bears

 Following a series of deadly bear attacks, Japan sent troops to the mountainous north of the country on Wednesday. The troops will help hunt the beasts after local authorities requested emergency assistance, reports „Reuters“.

Since April, more than 100 bear attacks in Japan have fatally mauled 12 people, two-thirds of them in Akita Prefecture. According to authorities in Akita, the number of bear sightings has increased sixfold this year to more than 8,000.

„People in the city feel the danger every day , – said Shinji Sasamoto, the mayor of Kazuno city in Akita prefecture. Residents are urged to avoid forests, stay indoors after dark and carry bells to scare away bears. Soldiers will help transport, set and check traps. However, the animals will be killed by hunters. Asian black bears, which are common in most of the country, can weigh up to 130 kg. Brown bears found on the northern island of Hokkaido can weigh up to 400 kg. 

Human-bear encounters are on the rise due to population growth, climate change-induced changes in natural food chains and rural depopulation. 

In recent weeks, bears have attacked shoppers at a supermarket, tourists at a bus stop and mauled a worker at a thermal bathing facility.

In September, gun laws were relaxed to make it easier for hunters to shoot bears in urban areas.