Posted on 11/17/2020 10:37:37 AM PST by SJackson
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. KYODO / REUTERS
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.
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.
(Excerpt) Read more at cbsnews.com ...
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Videos at the link. Would be a fun Haloween decoration.
A robot called Monster Wolf, equipped with sensors that can detect bears or vermin, is installed in an effort to scare away bears
I never knew Japan even had bears. Interesting.
Japan has “extra space”...??
As opposed to “domestic bears”?!
Grizzly Man 2005 1080p
https://youtu.be/efNtliiyT3M
Ursus thibetanus japonicus, aka Japanese black bear. Small guys, males 130-260 pounds.
Liar. That bear has round eyes.
This town is about as “remote” as is possible in Japan.
A lot of small provincial towns and rural communities like this are dying. Japan’s birthrate is well below replacement level, and young people don’t stay.
Wouldn’t it be easier to bribe the bears and supply them with acorns?
They could have just installed a couple Carly Fiorina stuffed puppets with Red Eyes a’glowing.. or maybe one with Joy Behar. I seriesly doubt the bears would go near them.
LOL!
A 300 hundred foot Godzilla would be more appropriate.
Well, the Japanese are not allowed to own firearms and apparently pepper spray is a no-no too. But on the plus side bear attacks act as a population reduction action. These are always a plus to any modern government.
My Bear ‘Pals’ up here would not be scared of that gomer screwball lookin’ Jap thing.
Pretty please, with sugar on top, go away bear, just go away.
Hokkaido has an area, climate and population density very similar to Wisconsin. Most of the population is clustered in a few big cities on the south end, including Sapporo and Hakodate.
We’ve got a little bear that has earned the moniker: Snowflake Bear.
Snowflake Bear knocks over our garbage cans but cannot figure out how to open them (all previous bears have NEVER had an issue with these same g cans)...then sulks off, hungry: “Aw geez. these cans are more than a match for me!”
He’d poop if we had one of these mechanical wolves!
Sorry, I SHOULD have said the SOUTHERN half of Wisconsin. Overall, Wisconsin is about twice as large in area with a density of 40.6 per square km versus 63 in Hokkaido. But the SOUTHERN half and Hokkaido are similar with about 5.2 million residents each.
Roughly 600,000 people live in the NORTHERN half of Wisconsin.
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