Posted on 11/13/2020 6:19:49 PM PST by nickcarraway
A town in northern Japan has recently been plagued by a plethora of wild bears, roaming around neighborhoods and petrifying residents. In an attempt to prevent attacks, the town of Takikawa has now installed terrifying robotic wolves to howl at the bears and scare them off, Reuters reports.
The residents of Takikawa, located on the northernmost island of Hokkaido, have been increasingly concerned by the potential of bear attacks, as sightings in the country hit a five-year high, according to national broadcaster NHK. There have been dozens of reported attacks this year, two of them fatal, leading to an emergency government meeting last month to address the issue.
A robot called Monster Wolf, equipped with sensors that can detect bears or vermin, is installed in an effort to scare away bears that have become an increasingly dangerous nuisance in the countryside, in Takikawa on Japan's northernmost main island of Hokkaido.
Conservationists speculate the increase in bear attacks may be due to a shortage of acorns in the wilderness, which has caused the bears to inch closer to cities in search of food ahead of hibernation. Deforestation and subsequent habitat loss have only exacerbated the problem, according to the World Wildlife Fund.
In response, the town purchased and installed a couple of the so-called "Monster Wolf" robots in September. Officials recently said there have been zero reports of bear encounters since.
The scarecrow-like robots have shaggy bodies, four legs, blond manes and glowing red eyes. If the motion detectors are activated, they move their heads, flash the lights in their eyes and project up to 60 equally-horrifying sounds, including howls.
Ohta Seiki, the company behind the machine, told Reuters that it has sold nearly 70 of the robots since 2018. They are placed in various locations around Japan to protect crops and neighborhoods from wild animals.
According to the The Mainichi newspaper, the Takikawa robots mark the first time they have been installed in front of houses in an attempt to protect humans.
"We want to let the bears know, 'Human settlements aren't where you live,' and help with the co-existence of bears and people," Yuji Ota, the head of Ohta Seiki, told The Mainichi.
Awesome!
I guess they are holding Mechagodzilla in reserve?
Godzilla attacks have also decreased.
bfl
North Korean assassin dolphins.....
Japanese bears.....
Japanese Murder Hornets.....
Whats next?
Chinese attack chickens?
Chinese attack voting machines.
I wonder if they rent those out for Christmas parties?
Yeah, just put your coats in that bedroom.
I wonder if they make something like this for Democrats?
Maybe a guy with a job application or something.
Looks like Barbara Streisand.
Chicken salad attacks China?
It sounds like Gojira (godzilla) to me.
Those Scare-Wolves will probably work for a few months. I’ve always heard that bears are very intelligent.
Eventually, some of the cubs will be nosy enough to get closer and Mama Bear will see the Wolf is just a big and scary toy.
That red eyed wolf reminds me of a campaign ad by Carly. Her ad showed a flock of robotic sheep with bright red eyes that lit up.
That would certainly scare the hell out of me if I came across it at night.
I initially imagined the large wolf mechs from Wolfenstein (XBox remake).
I’m disappointed.
Japanese people are fugged up!
Should use Pelosi; not a mock up but the real one.
I want two of them to put out front in the trees.
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