Iwate Bears Break Into 3 Homes, Raiding Pantries as 1 Bear Is Linked to 5 Attempts
Updated
Updated · The New York Times · Jul 15
Iwate Bears Break Into 3 Homes, Raiding Pantries as 1 Bear Is Linked to 5 Attempts
2 articles · Updated · The New York Times · Jul 15
Summary
Three homes in Japan’s Iwate prefecture were entered by Asiatic black bears over the past week, with some animals raiding fridges and pantries; no injuries were reported.
One bear in Shizukuishi twice tried to enter a house where a resident’s father was sleeping, and local media said video captured one of five attempts that week.
Residents and officials have responded with traps and electric fences as witnesses say at least one bear appears to have learned how to open sliding doors and return for food.
The Iwate incidents extend a broader rise in human-bear encounters across Japan, challenging the country’s long-held ideal of coexistence with nature.