Bear beware, beware of the bear!

Genkidesu's post about the bear attack on a Spanish tourist is a reminder that bears are not prejudice in their attacks! And that even highly visited tourist spots are fair game to a bear. I wonder if there have been any other documented cases of tourists being attacked by bears and / or people being attacked in busy tourist areas. A couple of years ago my family and I saw a bear at Lake Towada, on the Akita prefecture side, thankfully we were moving in a car at the time.

Another thing that struck me about the newspaper article Genkidesu shared in her post, is the mention of bear traps. I wonder what kind of bear traps they use. Just to capture the bear or to harm them. Most of the programs and news reports I've seen on the TV in Japan, show cage traps that are for capturing the bears. Presumably it is the same in Shirakawago where the latest attack took place. Because the bear traps that maim are inhumane and they are also dangerous to humans too. 

With all the bear sightings and attacks in the last few years, we really need to be aware of the risks when living and / or travelling in Japan. I personally don't hike alone anymore. And this year my family and I didn't go to our favorite mountain cabin resort for fear of the dangers of bears. However, bear attacks and sightings are no longer limited just to isolated mountain areas. The bears are increasingly braving populated lowland areas and some people believe that the bears see humans as prey. We really need to be alert and aware wherever we go.