Japan hat einen guten Plan, Bären nach tödlichen Angriffen abzuwehren

Japanese towns are attempting to keep bears away with sounds that irritate them after an increase in attacks, including the mauling of a Spanish tourist.

The 40-year-old man was in the popular sightseeing spot Shirakawa-go, a Unesco-listed village of traditional thatched-roof farmhouses in central Honshu, when a young Asian black bear approached from behind and clawed his arm.

The attack left the man with slight injuries but only a few days before a woman was killed and another went missing after attacks by bears. There have been more than 90 bear sightings in the area since the beginning of the year.

A record seven people have been killed in bear attacks across Japan this financial year, according to its environment ministry. Erosion of natural habitats and scarcity of food are thought to have pushed bears closer to populated areas.

As well as fireworks and traps, devices that emit high-pitched sounds have been deployed in populated areas to keep the animals away.

In Fukushima prefecture, units equipped with motion sensors and solar panels have been set up along a pathway that bears use to descend from higher elevations along the Arakawa River. The closer they get to the sound generators, the harsher the noise gets.