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Japan Deploying robot wolves to bear-prone areas help keep animals away After several deadly attacks.
The so-called monster wolf, developed by Hokkaido-based precision machining company Ohta Seiki was designed to protect farms, hiking trails and other areas Bear There is a possibility of coming forward.
When an animal approaches, the robot wolf’s infrared sensors activate: its eyes turn red, its head turns, blue LED lights flash, and it makes a sound as loud as a car horn.
The device can randomly play about 50 different noises, including animal squeaks and human voices.
Although it was initially dismissed as a gimmick when it was first introduced in 2016, the mechanical wolf has proven effective in recent tests, the outlet said.
“Bears are very alert animals and often work alone,” said Yuji Ohta, president of Ohta Seiki. kyodo news,
“When there’s a loud noise they’ll think there’s something there and won’t come any closer.”
About 330 monster wolves are to be deployed throughout Japan Areas where bears are frequently seen,
In 2023, Mr. Seki told ABC News: “It has been successful. To date, no one has questioned its effectiveness, nor have we faced any returns due to dissatisfaction.”
He added, “I think it’s much more cost-effective to threaten a machine and drive it away from the village than the cost of multiple people going out and eliminating it.”
Recent increase in bear attacks in Japan The company said demand has increased, inquiries have tripled and customers are even contacting overseas. One such query came from India, asking whether the robot could stop elephants.
Ohta Seiki says it is also developing a remote-controlled wolf mover for repelling bears, and a portable version for hikers and campers.
Earlier, zoologist Nobuyuki Yamaguchi of the University of Malaysia, Terengganu, told ABC News that robot wolves had limitations.
“While sudden lights and noises can startle wildlife, many animals learn and adapt. Once a large portion of any species realizes the lack of real harm, its deterrent effect may diminish.”
The expert said: “We humans are the most fearsome monsters to wildlife – even more so than the mighty lion! It’s the beauty of evolution that some of our reactions have formed through our evolution. Brown bears and wolves evolved almost side by side, and so, the brown bear presumably ‘knows’ what a wolf is, and vice versa.”
Bear attacks have risen sharply this year, with NHK Japan reporting 235 injuries and 13 deaths in 21 prefectures as of December 10.
The highest number of 66 incidents occurred in Akita.
While bears usually hibernate during the winter, attacks are still occurring this month. The December 4 incident in Nagano’s Nozawaonsen village was the first residential bear attack in December in the region since 1977.
The army was deployed to Akita in a rare move to assist in trapping operations after local authorities were overwhelmed last month.
The Japanese government also modified long-standing rules to allow riot police to shoot bears in certain circumstances, a power previously limited to licensed hunters.
Meanwhile, Japan could see another increase in bear attacks in the near future, researchers have warned, after a new survey found that crops of a type of nut favored by the animals could decline in 2027.
Beechnuts are an important source of food for Asian black bears in autumn, and their depletion causes the animals to regularly migrate to cities and farms.
While 2026 was expected to yield a bumper crop, a long-observed tendency to see good and bad years alternating meant that failure was likely in 2027, according to the study by the Akita Prefecture Forestry Research and Training Center.