Japan's city of Utsunomiya ordered the suspension of classes at all 94 public elementary and junior high schools today (8 June) after a wild bear was spotted wandering through residential and shopping districts for the first time in the city's history.
Utsunomiya authorities, overseeing a regional hub city of about 510,000 people located roughly 100 kilometers north of Tokyo, announced the temporary closure of all public elementary and junior high schools under their jurisdiction following reports of a wild bear roaming the urban area for the first time in history, with the animal still at large.
Municipal officials in Utsunomiya revealed that reports of the bear have been received more than 10 times since Saturday morning, with the initial sighting in the northern part of the city center. The bear was described as approximately one meter in length.
Subsequently, bear sightings continued throughout the weekend in residential areas near public parks, as well as in pedestrian streets and shopping zones. Most recently, early Monday morning, a resident spotted the bear near a wholesale market just 500 meters from a junior high school. However, authorities are uncertain whether this is a single bear or multiple animals causing the disturbances.
Currently, Utsunomiya officials have mobilized expert hunters, police officers, and dozens of local personnel to conduct an urgent, thorough search for the bear. Loudspeaker vehicles are patrolling the reported sighting areas, issuing warnings and urging residents to remain indoors or inside vehicles for their safety.
Historically, Utsunomiya has had virtually no encounters with wild bears; only two unconfirmed bear sightings were reported in the past year. This urban bear appearance has therefore caused significant alarm among local residents.
Recently, Japan has faced a sharp rise in wild bear sightings and attacks, particularly in urban areas. Last year saw a record-high 13 fatalities from bear attacks nationwide. Reports of bear sightings across Japan from last year through March have exceeded 50,000 incidents, more than double the previous record from two years ago, attributed to bears emerging from hibernation in search of food.
The severity of the situation has led the Japanese government to establish a special task force this year to seriously address reducing casualties. Just last week, a wild bear attacked people in Fukushima city in northeastern Japan, injuring at least four. CCTV footage from a steel factory in Fukushima captured a dramatic moment when a black bear chased and knocked an employee to the ground near the factory entrance.
Experts state that the Asian black bear is globally considered a vulnerable species. However, in Japan, their population has tripled since 2012 due to decreased hunting and climate change affecting forest vegetation, leading to reduced natural food sources like acorns and beechnuts.
Additionally, Japan's rural population decline and abandonment of farmland have opened pathways, encouraging bears to leave their natural forest habitats and increasingly forage near human communities, as evidenced by the recent incident.
/Kyodo/ AFP