Last year, Japan recorded 235 bear attacks, resulting in 13 deaths. It was the highest number of attacks since records began, prompting the Ground Self-Defense Force to intervene to hunt bears for the first time in history. With spring approaching, the city of Ishinomaki in Miyagi Prefecture has confirmed that it will use drones to combat bear attacks.
Bears that hibernate during the winter will start waking up in just a few months. So the drone equipped with anti-bear spray has been developed by the firm Terra Drone. The drone is equipped with a camera, a GPS system and a can of anti-bear spray that it hopes will repel the animals when they enter human settlements. It can fly for 10 minutes and is controlled from a distance of 12 kilometers, ensuring that the operator is not exposed to danger after being attacked by a bear.
This is the first version of the drone, with Terra Drone already developing a subsequent version with an infrared camera and the ability to fly for 75 minutes. This improved model is expected to be operational this March.
The number of bear attacks in Japan has increased in the past year as villages and rural areas have been abandoned by humans. Hungry bears are now entering urban areas with higher populations in search of food. Climate change has also meant that bears are still active even into December.
