A deadly conflict between bears and humans is playing out across Japan, where authorities have deployed the military to protect locals who are using drone-based alert and surveillance systems to track the bears.Since April this year, at least 13 people have been killed and more than 100 have been injured in bear attacks in the country, according to an October report by the Ministry of Environment. The ministry added that the death toll is the highest since Japan began keeping records of bear attacks in 2006.Recommended Stories list of 3 itemsend of listJapan is home to big brown bears, which can weigh more than 450kg (1,000 pounds) and live in the country’s Hokkaido region, one of Japan’s northernmost islands known for its hot springs and volcanoes. It is also home to Asiatic black bears – also known as Moon bears – which are smaller in size, weighing between 80-200kg (176-440 pounds), and are found on the mainland, which is more densely populated.Both types of bear have been involved in incidents this year, and both are dangerous to humans to varying degrees. Asiatic bear attacks are more frequent, but brown bear attacks are more dangerous.Shota Mochizuki, associate professor at Fukushima University, told Al Jazeera: “This is largely because black bears are widely distributed across Honshu and Shikoku, where many people live, while brown bears inhabit only Hokkaido, resulting in fewer opportunities for encounters with humans.” …
