00:01The hunt for a black bear spotted more than a dozen times in the Japanese city of Utsunomiya
00:06continued on Tuesday as all 94 municipal primary and middle schools were closed for a second straight day.
00:14The adult bear, with an estimated weight of about 100 kilograms,
00:18was last seen early on Tuesday morning some 700 meters from a university campus, according to the city.
00:25The same bear is believed to have been seen on Saturday evening in the city about 100 kilometers north of
00:31Tokyo.
00:32An Utsunomiya city official said a group including municipal and prefectural staff,
00:37the fire department and members of the hunters' association, were continuing to search for the bear.
00:43Depending on where the animal is found, they will decide whether to tranquilize, shoot or trap it for release, the
00:49official said.
00:50Experts say climate change has reduced harvests of bear's natural food, like acorns and beech nuts,
00:58while the depopulation of rural areas and the proliferation of abandoned farmland
01:02have emboldened them to seek food near human settlements.
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