Japan's bear attacks are at an all-time high, taking 13 lives since April. As the US, China and the UK have issued travel warnings to citizens traveling to the country, Japan's Gifu Prefecture has adopted a high-tech approach. By deploying a drone that emits barking sounds through a loudspeaker, they hope to deter unwanted bears.
00:00A drone takes off over an orchard in Gifu Prefecture in central Japan.
00:10Using firecrackers and a loudspeaker, it barks like a dog, scaring of bears seen lurking in the woods.
00:21Indeed, you don't really want to get hurt.
00:24I've had a few close calls myself, and then they glare at you, and yes, it's really scary when they actually look at you.
00:31This high-tech solution has been deployed in Hida, a city that has seen eight times as many bear sightings this fall, posing an ongoing threat to locals and tourists.
00:42We saw a lot of Japanese reports that there were a lot of fish in the forest.
00:49It seems that it's not good for this year, so the fish should go out and eat.
00:53So we prepared two fish in the forest.
00:57Across Japan, 220 people have been injured in bear attacks since April, a record spike in numbers.
01:07So far, 13 have been killed, with seven deaths in October alone.
01:13The uptick has prompted the U.S., China, and the U.K. to issue travel advisories.
01:19And, after a recent bear attack on a Spanish tourist, local governments are moving to respond.
01:26When considering how to implement countermeasures, we examined whether to drive the bears away by hand or use dogs.
01:32Ultimately, we decided on a method that could be enacted immediately, and after careful consideration, we chose to use drones for bear deterrence.
01:40As for bears, this is the first time we've used drones for bear deterrence.
01:46Recently, bear problems have become an issue in Japan, and this time we used the dog barking speakers to drive them away.
01:57And the barking drone is just the first step.
02:00Officials are installing more warning signs and vowing to prevent more of these dangerous encounters.
02:06You know, we are living in the mountains, and we are very, very familiar with the bears all the time.
02:16And then, why can't I, you know, avoid that in the first place?
02:22And then, that was, yeah, pretty shameful for us.
02:27We are not gonna let that things happen again. Yeah, never.
02:32With the bear population continuing to grow, the question remains.
02:37Can Japan's high-tech efforts keep people safe and bears away?
02:41Scott Huang and Zalane Chata for Taiwan Plus.
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