Bears in Iwate adding to evacuees' worries

Takeru Tsuzuki / Yomiuri Shimbun Staff Writer

MORIOKA--Bears have been sighted near temporary housing for people displaced by the March 11 earthquake and tsunami in Otsuchicho and Kamaishi, Iwate Prefecture.

More than 1,700 Asiatic black bears are believed to inhabit the prefecture, and the sightings of bears have occurred near housing facilities in mountainous areas.

People from coastal areas who were relocated to mountainous areas are not used to encountering bears, and municipalities are urging residents to take precautions against attracting the animals, such as through stricter handling of food waste.

Haru Hirano, who lives in temporary housing in Otsuchicho, saw a large black bear walk past her window at dawn in late June. The bear was startled by a car and ran off toward the mountains.

"It was the first time I'd seen a bear and I was so surprised," Hirano, 78, said. "The bear moved very fast. If I were chased by one, there'd be nothing I could do."

The town's local social welfare council, which consults residents of temporary housing facilities, has handled about 30 bear-related incidents since mid-August, with residents making such comments as "I saw a bear," "There's bear dung and footprints," and "Some neighbors saw bears and now I'm scared."

At temporary housing in Kamaishi, which is next to Otsuchicho, there were four reports of bear sightings in July and August, while a garbage collection site at a temporary housing facility in the town is believed to have been ransacked by a bear in July.

Because most low-lying land in Otsuchicho was inundated by the tsunami, the only option was to set up temporary housing units in mountainous areas near bear habitats, according to one town official.

"The bears are probably attracted to the garbage," said Prof. Toshiki Aoi of Iwate University, who is familiar with the behavioral habits of Asiatic black bears.

"It's necessary to avoid making bears believe that garbage dumps are feeding sites," he said.

The Otsuchicho social welfare council printed about 150 posters providing information on garbage disposal rules and collection days, and also posted them at garbage collection sites at temporary housing facilities. The town also distributed leaflets advising precautionary measures against bears, such as carrying a bell or a whistle to scare them away.

The Kamaishi municipal government plans to inform residents by radio of bear sightings.

So far, no evacuees have been attacked by a bear.