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STORY: In rural Japan a gunshot rings out. A bear slumps in a cage."This brown bear got too close to a human community. It wasn't right here but over that way in the middle of the town and on the roads close by. In this kind of situation, we have no choice other than to trap them." Bears are making their way closer to homes, and putting people’s lives at risk. Keeping the townspeople safe often falls on the shoulders of a dwindling band of aging hunters, like 75-year-old Haruo Ikegami. "I'm often the first one that gets there when they're caught like this, and I always say, 'oh come on, you're already in there?' I can't bear it."Once a common sight among the trees, hunters like Ikegami are now older, and fewer in number than before. :: RUNNING OUT OF TIMEJapan’s population is both aging and shrinking.As of 2020, about 60% of gun license-holders, like Ikegami, are over 60. And in areas where bears roam, some residents wonder what will happen when these hunters can no longer do their job. In the town of Naie, Tatsuhito Yamagishi has accused the local government of taking hunters for granted."They say we should train new hunters, but there's nothing specific on how we should do this. Who's going to hold the training sessions and the workshops? In a few years' time when we (hunters) are all over 70 years old, will there even be anybody left who could teach people how to hunt bears, even if they wanted to?"Naie’s local government declined to comment on the dispute with Yamagishi, but said officials were taking steps to address the bear problem.Japan’s environment ministry says it subsidizes local governments to train officials and conduct bear drills.But the country’s reliance on recreational bear hunters could become unsustainable, according to the hunters themselves, officials, residents and experts Reuters spoke to. :: BOLDER BEARSBoth black and brown bears’ habitats have been expanding, in part because of depopulation in rural areas, experts say.Some believe this, and less managed farmland, may be making bears more daring.And the animals appear to be raising cubs closer to human settlements, causing them to fear people less than before.All this has contributed to an increase in human-bear incidents.In the twelve months through March 2024, 219 people were attacked. Six fatally. More than 9,000 black and brown bears were trapped and culled over that period, according to Japan’s environment ministry.84-year-old Katsuo Harada carries scars from over 20 years ago, when a bear sank its teeth into his skull.'It was like it was gnawing on a raw radish, scraping and crunching. I passed out at the sound and I don't know what happened beyond that."Harada is now part of a group that helps keep problematic wildlife at bay."I feel that I have to protect the people living here. Whenever I set a trap, you saw today there are four locations, I'm driven forwards by the thought that if I hadn't laid the traps, somebody could have been killed." One common way to trap bears is by using a large cage with bait, like a deer carcass, salmon or honey. The trap is designed so that the creature steps on a metal plate when it goes near the bait, triggering the door to close. The local authorities then make a call on what to do with the animal and may involve licensed hunters to kill it. The trapped bear is looked after and fed until it is culled.As an alternative solution, some companies are turning to technology.This “Monster Wolf” robot growls, barks and emits threats. Costing about $2,500, it is triggered by a sensor and powered by solar energy.It has shown some success, but Yamagishi explains that it takes years for humans to learn how to trap bears and insists their expertise will remain indispensable. :: DWINDLING FRONT LINEResponding to the increase in attacks, the Japanese government this year proposed relaxing rules around gun use to make it easier to shoot bears in urban areas.But hunters say it’s hard to find new recruits because the job is expensive, unappealing, and exhausting.Some get 8,000 yen, or about $50 from local governments for a bear cull. This might cover expenses and fuel, Ikegami says, but little else. A system is needed, they suggest, where hunters are paid enough to support a family. Because if the younger generation doesn’t take up the torch, the last line of defence will soon be gone.
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