Bear that caused panic and nearly 100 school closures captured in northern Tokyo: “I’m very relieved”

A wandering bear that terrorized residents of a Japanese city north of Tokyo was captured on Tuesday after days of panic that saw nearly 100 schools closed.

The bear was first spotted on Saturday near a park in Utsunomiya, a city north of Tokyo of half a million people.

City officials said they received dozens of reports of bear sightings in the following days, including near the library, schools and community center. Bear sightings forced the closure of all 94 public elementary and middle schools in the city on Monday and Tuesday.

The city issued warnings on social media and sent out a public van, urging residents to take shelter inside buildings and cars if they encounter a bear, and to make sure they lock doors and windows and not put out the trash at night.

On Tuesday afternoon, the bear was found on a private property and shot by a veterinarian with a cool-down gun, said city official Ryuhei Irie. No one is hurt.

City officials used a drone on Tuesday to search for the animal after it was spotted early on campus, prompting the cancellation of all classes.

Officials believe there was only one bear but are investigating to be safe, Irie said.

Issei Okabe, a 37-year-old house painter who lives in an apartment near the house where the bear was caught, told AFP he was “very relieved.”

“My child studies in a nearby primary school… and the news is that a bear has appeared over there,” he said. “Then I watched the news, and our house was shown (in the picture)… I was very surprised. It was the first time I heard about a wild bear in Utsunomiya.”

The Utsunomiya bear scare was the latest example of Japan’s growing bear population in four areas aging and decline number of people.

Last week, another bear attacked four people in the residential area of ​​Fukushima, northeastern Japan, causing moderate damage. The “extremely intelligent” bear remains drunk after opening a window while fleeing for filming, NHK reported.

The Japanese government in March estimated the country’s number of bears at about 57,800. Officials have adopted a road map for bear population control that calls for planned evictions.

A a record 13 people were killed by bears in Japan last year, and there has been a jump in sightings as the animals emerge hungry from hibernation.

Bears thrive on an abundance of food – including acorns, deer and pigs – under the influence of a warm climate, say the experts.

Animals have been seen at the airport runways, walking on golf courseswandering around schools and causing panic at supermarkets and hot spring resorts almost every day.

The problem became so bad that last year i The US State Department has warned Americans in Japan to be aware of bears.

A Japanese company ferocious looking robot wolves is full of orders after record numbers of attacks and killings last year.

“Monster Wolf” is a party an animatronic scarecrow with fiery red eyes that bark and roar menacingly to frighten wild animals.