Bears in Japan are waking up from hibernation.they are in a bad mood

After several black bear sightings in Akita Prefecture, in the far north of the state, the prefectural government issued a black bear warning to residents on April 18, the earliest call for the public to be alert to the danger since such warnings were issued in 2016.

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Generally speaking, bears tend to wake up from hibernation in a bad mood every spring. They were thin, hungry and easily angered, said naturalist Kevin Short, a former professor of cultural anthropology at Tokyo University of Information Science.

He told Asia Weekly that they are not keen on hanging out with humans at this time of year.

However, recent winters have been particularly challenging, he said.

Last fall, he said, there was an almost complete failure of the nut harvest, especially beech nuts, which are what bears rely on to fatten themselves up before going into hibernation. The harvest was the worst I can remember, and many bears went into hibernation without adequate energy reserves to survive the winter.

As a result, they’re emerging relatively early, in part because of warmer temperatures this winter, and are also very hungry, Short said.

Humans often encounter bears while hiking in the mountains or collecting vegetables from the mountains. However, Short said more and more bears are approaching farms, villages and even the outskirts of towns in search of food.

The hungrier they are, the more likely they are to venture closer to residential areas, Short said.

A bear hunter in Hokkaido told Short that bears tend to be more aggressive in the spring.

“They’re hungry, and they’re more motivated to defend their food supply,” Short said. In the fall, the food supply is usually much greater, but in the spring, if they perceive a threat to their food, they will react aggressively.

In early April, a bear appeared near a restaurant on the outskirts of Fukuchiyama City, Kyoto Prefecture. In another incident, a man in his 70s was attacked and injured while picking wild vegetables in the mountains of Iwate Prefecture.

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With the recent increase in sightings and attacks across Hokkaido, the prefectural government last year introduced a new system to issue hunters licenses for spring activities in the mountains.

Brown bears have been protected in the past as widespread hunting decimated their numbers. But their numbers have doubled in recent years, forcing local authorities to allow large-scale hunting, according to state broadcaster NHK.

We also work hard to educate the public on what to do if they encounter a bear in certain areas.

Last year, NHK aired a series of 30-second TV ads on how to deal with bears to anyone walking, biking or driving.

Hifumi Tsuruga, a bear expert at the Hokkaido Research Institute, said it’s important to take precautions to avoid bear encounters, but knowing what to do in the worst-case scenario is even more important.

The most important thing, he said, is to avoid encounters if possible. Use a whistle and talk to people around you to tell animals you are nearby and give them a chance to take cover. I strongly recommend that anyone planning to travel to bear habitat do so in a group of two or more.

Tsuruga also recommended carrying pepper spray to target the bears’ eyes and sensitive noses during confrontations.

If you do see a bear, back away slowly but continue to watch the bear, he said. He also warned against running away or turning on a bear, as the animal’s instinct is to chase.

Tsuruga said if you encounter a bear with cubs, the best approach may be to lie face down and protect your neck, face and belly from bites and scratches. He added to wait until the bear leaves before running away.