In view of the increasing number of dangerous encounters between bears and humans, drones are now being used to track the animals in Japan. As the newspaper „Nihon Keizai Shimbun“ reported today from Ishikawa Province, the drones used by local citizen groups and the fire department are equipped with thermal imaging cameras.
With the help of infrared rays, bears could be spotted hiding in the dark and in tall grass. As soon as a bear is found in this way, it will be chased away with fireworks, it was said. There is also a bear alert in other provinces such as Niigata.
In Niigata, an elderly woman was recently attacked and fatally injured in the head by a bear while working on her farm. According to experts, one reason the bears are more likely to approach human settlements before their hibernation is that they cannot find enough beechnuts in the mountain forests.
In addition, more and more rural areas in Japan are becoming orphaned due to the aging of the population and the animals there are therefore increasingly daring to do so.
