Japanese authorities offer subsidies and economic incentives for bear hunt in the villagegiven the unprecedented increase in attacks by these animals on people in recent months, especially in the north of the region.

This year’s total 167 cases of attacks and injuries of people by bears in 17 prefectures of Japan, which represents the highest annual figure since the government recorded this data, leaving an estimated number 5 deadThis was reported by the state broadcaster NHK.

The number of attacks has risen sharply in recent weeks – with 58 reported in October alone – at a time when Bears intensify their search for food before hibernation and go beyond their normal natural habitat.

Given this situation, Environment Minister Shintaro Ito announced on October 14 that The government will cover the costs of tracking and hunting bears suffered by local authorities, given the increase in incidents mainly in the regions of Hokkaido, Aomori, Iwate and Akita.

The minister also advised the population of those places where bears are more often seen,”keep a safe distancewith these animals and always carry special sprays with you to repel them.

Akita Governor Norihisa Satake, for his part, announced that he would offer incentives for5000 yen (31 euro) for bear hunters for each animal killed and to cover the costs associated with these tasks, this is the first time that local authorities have taken measures of this type.

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In this northern prefecture, the number of people injured in bear attacks this year was 53, almost three times more than the previous year.

Experts believe that the risk of bear attacks will continue until Decemberwhen their hibernation season begins, and they attribute the increase in incidents this year to a shortage of nuts and acorns, their staple foods, forcing these mammals to cover areas outside the forests and mountains.

The day before, a 72-year-old man was attacked by a bear in the barn of a house in a residential area of ​​Toyama (centre), causing serious wounds resulting from scratches and bites of the face and limbs. The animal died at the scene.

The native bears of the Japanese archipelago are the “Ursus thibetanus japonicus”, a subspecies of the Asiatic bear considered vulnerable or endangered, and the Ussuri brown bear (“Ursus arctos lasiotus”), found exclusively in the northern island of Hokkaido.

(EFE)