Spring reawakens concerns over bear encounters in Japan

A warning sign is displayed in Shirakawa-go, Gifu Prefecture, last November
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Sapporo –
With the arrival of spring, it’s not just humans who are out and about more after a long winter
Hibernating bears are waking up, reviving concerns about increased encounters in rural and urban areas.But while experts say that a better harvest of bear staple foods such as acorns and nuts this year could determine whether reported bear sightings ultimately rise or fall compared with last year, anyone who ventures out can help reduce the odds of a random encounter through a number of measures, regardless of whether they’re urban residents preparing for the spring harvest or tourists out in the wild.As of the beginning of this month, 237 people had been attacked by bears since April 1 last year, resulting in 13 deaths
Eleven deaths were due to attacks by Asian black bears, which mostly inhabit Honshu, and two were due to brown bears, which live in Hokkaido.

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