A tense incident took place at a post office in central Japan when a foreign man unintentionally sprayed bear repellent, resulting in eight people being affected and five requiring hospital treatment.
Chaos erupted at a central Japan post office after a foreign man using the service accidentally discharged bear repellent spray, causing the chemical to spread widely amid many customers present.
Firefighter Ryohei Asano stated that those affected experienced discomfort from inhaling the spray mist, but no one was seriously injured or suffered severe symptoms.
Reports say the unnamed foreign man apologized to police and confirmed that the spraying was unintentional, while authorities will conduct a thorough investigation into the cause.
Bear repellent spray contains a high concentration of capsaicin and is used to prevent bear attacks; it can cause eye and nose irritation, skin discomfort, and respiratory irritation if touched or inhaled.
This incident happened as Japan faces increasing problems with wild bears attacking people, with at least five deaths from bear attacks reported since 1 April. Officials are currently investigating another fatality involving a man found with bite marks in northern mountainous areas.
Data from Japan’s Ministry of the Environment shows that from April to June this year, bear attack deaths exceeded two for the first time since record-keeping began in fiscal year 2017.
Scientists attribute the rise to increased bear populations combined with declining rural human populations, leading bears to forage closer to communities and increasingly encroach on urban areas.
In June, police, hunters, and local officials spent four days capturing a bear that wandered into Utsunomiya city north of Tokyo, prompting several schools to temporarily suspend classes for safety reasons.
Source:channelnewsasia
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