(Bloomberg) -- Bear attacks on humans have risen to record numbers in Japan, prompting officials in some northern areas to offer a reward for shooting them.
Around 167 bear attacks have been reported nationwide this year as of October, exceeding the 2020 record of 158, according to public broadcaster NHK. At least three people have been killed including a 79-year-old woman in the central prefecture of Toyama, who was mauled to death in her backyard.
Bear sightings are becoming more common even in the outskirts of Tokyo, NHK reported.
A poor crop of beech nuts, a staple food source for bears, has left them hungry and willing to venture near human settlements to search for sustenance, said Maki Yamamoto, an associate professor at Nagaoka University of Technology specializing in wildlife management. The animals spend the autumn searching for food ahead of hibernation.
Officials in the northern Akita prefecture hope hunters can help manage the problem, and plan to hand out 5,000 yen ($33) for each bear they shoot.
“We will financially support responsible hunters so that they can hunt many more bears,” Akita governor Norihisa Satake told a news conference earlier this week.
Yamamoto forecast bear sightings could continue into January, given that the warmer winter forecast this year could prompt them to delay hibernation.
Read more: Japan Faces Worst Wild Bear Attacks in Five Years During Virus
Environment Minister Shintaro Ito said earlier in the week that the frequent attacks constituted “an extraordinary situation.” The government plans to roll out emergency aid to four prefectures including Akita and the northern island of Hokkaido.
--With assistance from Kevin Dharmawan.
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