Troubles between man and black bear?

  People live in Okutama Mountains from olden times. In recent years, people visit the areas for recreation. How do people and bears get along?
 
Place
Year
Jan.
Feb.
Mar
Apr.
May
June
July
Aug.
Sept.
Oct.
Nov.
Dec.
Annual Total
Residential
1992
            
1
1
  
1
    
3
 
1993
          
1
1
  
2
      
4
 
1994
          
1
  
1
1
      
3
 
1995
          
1
  
1
    
1
  
3
 
1996
                        
0
Mountains
1992
              
1
    
1
  
2
 
1993
            
1
          
1
 
1994
    
1
1
  
1
  
1
    
1
  
5
 
1995
        
1
    
2
1
  
1
  
5
 
1996
1
      
1
              
2
 
Monthly Total
1
0
1
1
2
4
3
7
4
1
4
0
28

The above table indicates the number of encounters with a bear in Okutama Mountains between the years 1992 and 96. Normally, the bears in Okutama hibernate during the months between December and April of the following year, so that the data, excluding these months, suggests that encounters occur evenly regardless of the year or season. This is quite understandable since the bears live so close to us as corroborated by the radio tracking data. Among these 28 encounters, three are bear attacks leading to injury. Two out of the three attacks happened to wranglers and hikers on vacation, and the third to a local person on his way home.

In the past, the encounter with a bear often led to such a measure as trapping it by cage or exterminating it by rifle. In recent years, however, judging from the circumstance of the encounter, extermination is avoided if no recurrence appears probable. For example, placards are put up instead to call the attention of visitors. Nonetheless, some local governments appear hesitant to actively inform the visitors of the bears and of their habitation because they fear it would damage their local tourism.
 
Photo: MInetani Photo: Debarking
Photo: Overlooking Oku (deep) hamlet from Mine (peak) hamlet of Minetani (peak-valley) of Okutama-machi. Some houses in Mine hamlet are located at the highest altitude in Tokyo. The ridge in the background of Oku hamlet is where Ishione (rocky-ridge) hamlet stands, leading to Mt. Kumotori. Photo:  A Japanese cypress in an afforestation debarked by a black bear. Though the damage is not serious in Okutama, debarkation is observed in the beginning of summer.

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