MAEBASHI — The risk of bear outbreaks in human settlements in eastern Japan’s Gunma Prefecture is expected to be high at the end of this year as the region’s acorn harvests are “poor” for the third consecutive year, according to the prefectural government.

Some 2,000 bears are believed to inhabit Gunma Prefecture, mainly in the northern mountainous areas. The prefectural government triggers the alert by different means, such as triggering a video of an employee dressed as a bear to show how to behave with the animal.

The prefectural Animal Damage Control Center conducted an investigation into acorns, which serve as food for bears, by visually inspecting some 630 trees in the Tone Numata area in northern Gunma Prefecture, early to mid-September. Acorn condition is graded into seven levels, ranging from “great harvest” to “none (no fruiting)”, and the harvest was rated “poor” – the fourth level – this year. By tree species, the giant dogwood had a poor harvest (third worst), while the Japanese beech, mizunara oak, jolcham oak, and chestnut had “crop failures.”

In years when harvests are low, bears are more likely to appear in human settlements. The number of bear sightings and appearances in the prefecture between September and December, when acorns are their main food source, was 36 in 2015, when the harvest was good, compared to 316 in 2023, when the harvest was bad like this year. .

Damage has already been reported this year. In May, two people were seriously injured when a bear entered a house in the town of Annaka. At the end of September, a series of injuries occurred in the town of Minakami, including a person out for a walk who was scratched by a bear.

In order to avoid human losses, the prefectural government created the video and a brochure (in Japanese). He explains how to react when encountering a bear, such as backing away slowly without turning your back and spraying bear repellent in the animal’s face in case it tries to attack.

(Japanese original by Ryuko Tadokoro, Maebashi Bureau)