Japanese city closes nearly 100 schools after bear sightings as post-hibernation attacks rise
Yahoo • • world
Key Points:
- Utsunomiya City in Japan closed nearly 100 schools after multiple bear sightings in the area, including one on a junior high school campus and another captured on security cameras downtown.
- Police and local hunters patrolled the city and successfully captured a bear on Tuesday evening, using a tranquilizer dart before transporting it away.
- Residents have been advised to secure their homes and avoid putting out trash at night to prevent bear encounters amid a nationwide surge in bear activity and attacks.
- Japan is facing a growing bear problem due to increased bear populations, reduced hunting, climate change affecting food sources, and rural depopulation, leading to more frequent bear incursions into human areas.
- Between April and early June 2026, there have been three fatalities and 20 bear attack injuries across at least nine prefectures, with incidents rising again as bears emerge from hibernation with warmer weather.