Robot ‘monster wolf’ sees off Japan’s aggressive bears

A robot called Monster Wolf is installed in an effort to scare away bears that have become an increasingly dangerous nuisance in the countryside

Credit: REUTERS

Spooked at a sudden increase in sightings of aggressive bears, a town in northern Japan has deployed two robot wolves to keep the interlopers at bay.

Residents of Takikawa expressed concern in September when bears were reported roaming the outskirts of the town, in the mountains of Hokkaido Prefecture. 

Across Japan, sightings of bears are at a five-year high of 13,670 this year and 63 people were mauled in attacks between September and late October, with two people later dying of their injuries, according to national broadcaster NHK.

Officials in Takikawa approved the purchase of the “monster wolves” in order to “avoid friction between local residents and bears”.

Developed by a machinery company in conjunction with two universities, the robot wolves are equipped with infrared sensors that can detect movement nearby. When triggered, the robot shakes its head aggressively and lets out a loud recorded roar. 

The creature — which is nearly 4 feet long and stands 3 feet high — has bright red eyes and is covered in a realistic animal pelt. 

A robot called Monster Wolf, equipped with sensors that can detect bears or vermin

Credit: REUTERS

Local residents reported 10 bears earlier in the autumn — typically, they would see one animal each year — and say the robots appear to have worked as no bears have been seen since they were installed.

"At the very least, they have been effective in making residents feel at ease," a town official told the Mainichi newspaper. 

The national government convened an emergency meeting in late October to consider the growing problem of bears wandering into rural communities and, frequently, clashing with humans. 

In one incident on October 16, a man in an onsen hot spring was attacked by a bear and bitten on his arms and legs, while there was a 13-hour standoff at a shopping mall in Ishikawa Prefecture when a bear found its way inside. Police later shot and killed the animal. 

Experts believe that adverse weather conditions this year have led to a shortage of acorns and other staples that make up the diet of Asian black bears and brown bears. As they prepare to go into hibernation for the winter months, they have been forced to forage further afield and encroach on residential areas. 

One expert also warned that a new generation of bears have become so used to being around human habitation that they are no longer frightened of people, which is likely to lead to an increase in incidents in the future.