A bear caused unrest in the Japanese city of Sapporo on Friday morning. The animal was spotted for the first time at 3:30 a.m., writes the Washington Post.
Video recordings show how the animal first runs through a residential area, crosses the street and then storms to the airport of a military base.
Four people injured
Once there, the bear climbs over the fence and gets into the airport. Security forces on site immediately try to tame the animal. Four people are injured in the process.
Two helicopters and local hunters are used to hunt the bears. Around 11 a.m. it is all over: the animal is killed with gunshots.
In the meantime, eight flights had to be canceled and ten schools had to be temporarily closed, reports the Japanese television station «NHK».
Bears expand their habitat into the foothills
The encounters between animals and humans have increased significantly in Japan in recent years. According to experts, there is a shortage of acorns in the mountains, which prompts the animals to forage in the cities.
But there is another reason why the bears are increasingly staying in the lowlands and finding their way into the cities, writes the Washington Post: The rural population of Japan is gradually declining.
For example, people would have given up the arable land in the foothills that once formed the buffer zone between the mountains and the plains – now there are no people, but more and more bears live there. (une)
Published: 06/18/2021, 21 minutes ago
Last updated: 6/18/2021, 20 minutes ago