A file photo showing two bears walking down the street in Shari, Hokkaido, in October 2010. Photo: AFP A file photo showing two bears walking down the street in Shari, Hokkaido, in October 2010. Photo: AFP
A file photo showing two bears walking down the street in Shari, Hokkaido, in October 2010. Photo: AFP
Japan
Asia /  East Asia

As Japan reports 13,600 bear sightings, why are they coming out of the wild?

  • A lack of food, with low acorn yields this year, may have driven the bears closer to civilisation, one expert says
  • The coronavirus pandemic, which has seen people stay indoors more often, could also be leading the animals to enter human habitats

Topic |   Japan
Bloomberg
Bloomberg

Updated: 9:41pm, 20 Nov, 2020

Why you can trust SCMP
A file photo showing two bears walking down the street in Shari, Hokkaido, in October 2010. Photo: AFP A file photo showing two bears walking down the street in Shari, Hokkaido, in October 2010. Photo: AFP
A file photo showing two bears walking down the street in Shari, Hokkaido, in October 2010. Photo: AFP
READ FULL ARTICLE