A city in Japan has taken the unprecedented step of closing all its 94 primary and secondary schools after a bear was spotted within the municipality for the first time, marking a rare incursion of wildlife into a densely populated urban area.
Bear Sighting Triggers Citywide School Closures
Officials in Utsunomiya, a city of approximately half a million residents located about 100 kilometers (62 miles) north of Tokyo, acted swiftly following the sighting of a medium-sized black bear near a local park on Saturday. The bear, estimated to be about one meter in length, was later captured on closed-circuit television (CCTV) footage running just in front of two startled young men in the city center during the early hours of Sunday. The animal continued to be spotted in residential areas throughout Sunday and was seen again in a factory district approximately two kilometers from the city center at 4 a.m. on Monday.
In response to the ongoing threat, Utsunomiya city officials are urging residents to keep their doors and windows locked, avoid approaching the bear if they see it, and seek refuge in the nearest building. The city has also deployed public address vehicles to alert local residents about the situation. Meanwhile, police officers and members of the local hunting association have resumed their search for the animal as of Monday morning.
Record Bear Sightings Across Japan
The incident in Utsunomiya is part of a broader trend across Japan, where a record 50,000 bear sightings have been reported this year, primarily concentrated in the northeastern region. Bears have not typically been observed this close to Tokyo, but recent months have seen an increase in such encounters. Last month, a Russian hiker was injured by a bear in Okutama, on the far western edge of the Tokyo metropolitan area, while another bear appeared shortly afterward in the satellite city of Hachioji.
In another alarming incident last week, a bear in Fukushima Prefecture attacked four people before entering a company's office, where it injured an employee. The animal then moved into a factory, from which it is believed to have escaped by opening a window from the inside.
Rising Bear Attacks Prompt Government Response
Bear attacks in Japan have been on the rise in recent years, with a record number of deaths and injuries recorded in the year leading up to March. Local governments are exploring various methods to address the issue, including the use of CCTV cameras linked to artificial intelligence (AI) analysis to track bear movements.
While precise population numbers are unavailable, estimates suggest there are between 12,000 and 42,000 Asiatic black bears on Japan's main Honshu island, and their numbers are believed to have increased in line with the growth in sightings. These bears can grow up to 1.5 meters in length and weigh up to 120 kilograms.
Brown Bears on Hokkaido
The larger brown bears are found only on the northern island of Hokkaido, where males average two meters in length and can weigh up to 400 kilograms. Their population is estimated to be around 12,000.
Reasons for Increased Encounters
Fluctuations in the harvest of bears' staple foods, such as acorns, can drive them into towns and villages in search of food. Additionally, experts believe that declining rural populations, particularly among younger people, have made residential areas quieter, making them more attractive to bears and increasing the likelihood of encounters with humans.
