Rising Bear Attacks in Japan Linked to Climate Change and Aging Population
Seishi Sato's peaceful forest stroll turned into a heart-stopping moment when he spotted rustling in a bush Discover the alarming rise of bear attacks in Japan, fueled by climate change and an aging population What actions can be taken to tackle this escalating problem?
While out for a walk in a forest in northern Japan, Seishi Sato felt a sense of unease when he noticed movement in a bush. Suddenly, two Asiatic bears emerged, with one aggressively approaching him, leaving him to desperately defend himself and fear for his life.
The 57-year-old from Iwate prefecture in northeast Japan told CNN that when he saw them, he thought he was in deep trouble. Despite surviving the attack, he sustained numerous scratches and puncture wounds on his arm and thigh.
Sato is one of the 212 survivors of an unprecedented year for bear attacks in Japan, as reported by the Ministry of Environment. This year has seen six fatalities, surpassing the previous record of 158 attacks in 2020. The number of bear attacks has never exceeded 200 annually since records began in 2006, with 2023 still having a month left.
It is not uncommon to spot bears, known as "kuma," in Japan, particularly in the northern region where the mountain ranges, dense vegetation, and pristine rivers offer an ideal habitat and plenty of acorns, beechnuts, fruits, and insects for their diet. However, experts have noted a growing trend of Japanese bears venturing into urban areas in search of food, possibly due to the impact of climate change on their traditional food sources, affecting flowering and pollination.
Associate Professor Maki Yamamoto, who specializes in bear behavior at Nagaoka University of Technology in Niigata, reported that bears are extending their territory this year and moving closer to human settlements in their quest for food.
Seishi Sato attacked by a bear while picking mushrooms, in Iwaizumi, Iwate prefecture.
Seishi Sato/YouTube
More and more, this is leading them to encounter people like Sato, who was assaulted just a short distance from the store he owns, where he sells pet supplies and foraged mushrooms from the woods.
"There's a heightened awareness of this issue among the community," Sato stated, noting that other locals have also been attacked near their homes in the village.
In November, the country had a total of 19,191 sightings, which was an increase from 11,135 in the previous year and 12,743 in 2021. Iwate, where Sato resides, has the highest number of cases with 5,158 sightings, followed by the neighboring Akita prefecture with 3,000 sightings.
The issue has become so pressing that Environment Minister Shintaro Ito promised last month to assist communities affected by the problem. "We are exploring the option of offering immediate aid to local communities based on their needs, such as conducting surveys and capturing bears that reside near human settlements. This will also take into account the preferences of prefectures where human encounters with bears are increasing," he stated at a press conference.
Protective mama bears
In Japan, there are two primary types of bear: the brown bear, found in Hokkaido, the northernmost of Japan's main islands, and a small population of Asiatic bears, which inhabit Honshu, Japan's largest island.
According to Professor Koji Yamazaki from Tokyo University of Agriculture, both brown bears and Asiatic black bears have an omnivorous diet, enjoy acorns, and tend to avoid humans whenever possible. An Asiatic bear typically weighs between 40 and 100 kg, while a Japanese brown bear can grow up to 400 kg. Despite their size, neither of these bears is the largest on earth. For example, Kodiak brown bears in Alaska can weigh up to 600 kg.
When bears do attack, the cause is usually because a mother bear fears an encounter with a human poses a threat to her cub, experts said.
A female brown bear and her cub hunt for salmon at the mouth of a river in the Shiretoko Peninsula, a World Heritage site, in Hokkaido, northern Japan, on Sept. 3, 2013.
Kyodo News/Getty Images/File
Sato, the owner of the YouTube channel Primitive Forest Bear, shared a video of his encounter with Asiatic bears, which he believed to be a mother and her cub, as a cautionary tale to viewers to be careful in nature. The video captured the bear attack and was posted online for awareness.
The video, now widely circulated online, depicts him desperately yelling for help while using a tree branch to fend off the aggressive animal. At one harrowing moment, he even resorts to climbing a tree to escape being attacked. Fortunately, the bear eventually retreats. "I was absolutely terrified when I watched the video," Sato admitted.
Climate change and population shifts
With encounters on the increase, some experts believe climate change may be a factor in pushing bears further from their traditional habitats.
Yamamoto, from Nagaoka University of Technology, explained that the fluctuations in acorn harvests can lead to bears seeking alternative food sources such as fruits, chestnuts, persimmons, walnuts, and farm products when they are unable to store enough energy from mountain acorns alone. She noted that this year, bears have been appearing more in villages due to the very bad harvest of acorns from the beech, the bears' favorite tree.
Tsutomu Mano, a senior research fellow at the Hokkaido Research Organization, stated that climate change is expected to greatly affect the timing of plant flowering and the behavior of pollinating insects, both crucial for fruit production. Additionally, he noted that when bears face food shortages, they frequently venture into human communities in search of leftover food in bins.
Once theyve developed a taste for human leftovers they will keep returning for more, Mano said.
Another factor that some believe may be coming into play is Japans rapidly shifting demographics.
Japan has one of the world's oldest populations, with a median age of 48, as reported by the United Nations' Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific. Simultaneously, there is a trend of younger generations migrating to urban areas in search of improved job prospects.
Climbers enjoy viewing autumn leaves at Mt. Kurikoma, the most spectacle foliage in Miyagi Prefecture on October 11, 2023.
The combination of these two factors has led to a rapid decline in populations on the rural outskirts of northern prefectures, resulting in conditions such as the abandonment of cultivated land and overgrowth along riversides. This has made it easier for bears to enter, as stated by Mano.
NHK reported that 71 people were attacked by bears in October, with 61 of them being over the age of 60. Twenty-one of the victims were in their 80s. On October 24, four people in their 70s were injured in Akita on the same day.
Whats the solution?
In Karuizawa, a charming resort town nestled in Nagano prefecture, just northwest of Tokyo, conservationists have begun using dogs to patrol the forests and deter bears, as reported by local media outlets.
In response to the high number of bear attacks, officials in Akita prefecture have taken a more extreme approach by offering rewards to trappers. Governor Norihisa Satake recently announced a 5,000-yen ($33) prize for every bear captured in the region. Additionally, there are plans to allocate a fund of up to 15 million yen ($100,000) to cover the cost of transporting captured bears.
Experts argue that a comprehensive approach is necessary, as trapping alone is insufficient for managing bears. "It is necessary to consider a combination of various methods," stated Yamazaki of the Tokyo University of Agriculture.
The first step was to study what types of bear - in terms of their ages, genders and locations - were going astray and why, he said.
