Japan is testing "barking drones" to drive bears away from people (8 photos)

Japan has begun testing unusual security drones that mimic the barking of dogs to prevent dangerous encounters between humans and bears. The devices patrol forested areas and emit loud sounds, scaring off the predators before they even approach populated areas.





The Great Japanese Bear Struggle



Here he is, my beauty!

Bright red drones with two toy-like eyes on top and a large megaphone on their bellies fly along the outskirts of small Japanese towns. The 0.9-meter-long drone was developed by Aero Japan. They proudly called their creation a "hunting drone." Remember my recent article about hunting drones with arrows in China? And here it is, a loudspeaker and eyes.





A bear is wandering the streets of a Japanese town. The police have no weapons against it.

The drones' megaphones are emitting the barking of dogs, but not everywhere, only in regions where bears have been recently spotted. If bears are spotted and don't retreat when barked, two firecrackers will be launched at them. Such drones have already been successfully tested in Gifu Prefecture, very successfully, to prevent bears from plundering apples and peaches in the Kurouchi Fruit Park orchard.



Here's his bark

Now they've been deployed to urgently save the town of Hide, where the number of bear sightings in the city has increased almost eightfold compared to last year.



Here are his two evilly shining eyes.

If only bears could read.

Local agricultural workers, especially those in orchards, are already afraid to go to work. And for city residents... they've put up a warning sign! Authorities have put up bear warning signs near orchards and parts of the city near forests. They even indicate the best time to avoid walking alone. It's good that bears in Japan are also very disciplined and have also read the signs, and don't wander around at inappropriate times.



As you can see, a polite bear won't attack before 5 p.m.

However, since April, a record 220 people have been injured in bear attacks across Japan. Thirteen people have died, including seven last month alone. This was because it was the peak period when bears actively forage for food before hibernation. Last week, the United States, China, and the United Kingdom issued bear attack warnings to their citizens in Japan. The US warning focused on bear attacks near populated areas. But this didn't frighten tourists in the least.



Chinese tourists happily pose for photos with a sign

And in some areas where bears are frequently seen, students were given bear bells (which make a loud, deterrent sound). This is because the animals are active early in the morning, just as children are leaving for school. Asiatic black bears are listed as vulnerable worldwide. Fortunately for them, their numbers in Japan have tripled since 2012, driven by a reduction in hunting in the country. Climate change has also reduced the availability of acorns, beechnuts, and other common food sources in forests, forcing the bears into cities.



A school poster about the importance of a bell

The Japanese are hoping to deal with hungry predators using barking drones... Do you think this will be of any use? And why not just get dogs?