Japan’s hunters refuse meagre pay to face deadly bears: ‘like fighting a US commando’

Name: Dogs ‘hunt’ for bears in Japan to protect them from human threats
Uploaded: 2024-07-08T02:09:58.000Z
Duration: 3 min 57 s
Description: Dogs ‘hunt’ for bears in Japan to protect them from human threats

With bear sightings and attacks on the rise in Japan’s northern countryside, hunters demand fairer compensation to battle the surging threat

Reading Time:2 minutes

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A bear caught on hidden camera in Japan’s northern Hokkaido prefecture last year. The country has seen a record 219 bear attacks, including six fatalities, over the past year. Photo: Shibecha Town/Handout via AFP

Julian Ryall

Published: 10:09am, 8 Jul 2024Updated: 10:10am, 8 Jul 2024

Hunters in northern Japan are refusing to take on the surging bear population, warning that “fighting a brown bear is like fighting a US military commando”.

With a record 219 bear attacks, including six fatalities, over the past year, rural communities are desperate for help – but hunters say the dangerous job simply isn’t worth the meagre pay.

The alarming uptick in bear sightings and related incidents has local officials scrambling for solutions.

Government data shows more than 3,000 bear encounters reported just in April and May, about 500 more than usual. Since April 1, the animals have attacked 37 people across 16 prefectures, killing two.

In Naie, population 4,800, bears now menace the outskirts of the mountain town multiple times a year as ageing hunters struggle to keep up.

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Dogs ‘hunt’ for bears in Japan to protect them from human threats

The town’s task force made a desperate plea to the local Hokkaido Hunters’ Association, requesting the group’s 43 registered members conduct a cull. But the offer on the table was woefully inadequate – just 10,300 yen (US$64) for an eight-hour workday.