Overview
- Akita raised its Asiatic black bear alert from an advisory to a full prefecture warning, which remains in effect through May 31.
- Reports logged between April 1 and 14 reached 75 on the KUMADASU map, about 1.7 times the long-term average and above the level that triggers a warning.
- The same two-week span saw 3.4 times more sightings than last year, when 22 were recorded.
- The Natural Conservation Division urged people to make noise in bear country, travel in groups, and avoid leaving food scraps or garbage outdoors.
- Officials set the warning to cover the spring period when bears become active after winter and encounters with people tend to increase.