• eestileibEnglish
        5·
        13 days ago

        Aww those are just black bears, they’re only dangerous like alligators are dangerous.

        I was gonna say “they’re only dangerous to kids and old folks who can’t keep out of their way”, but oh yeah rural Japan is like 75% old folks…

        • bitofarambler@crazypeople.onlineOPMEnglish
          2·
          13 days ago

          Black bears attack e’errrrbody, not to discount especially vulnerable human populations, but at least deterrents work with black bears and we have a chance to fight black bears off when they attack. Japan is fortunate not to have a similar grizzly problem.

          • eestileibEnglish
            2·
            13 days ago

            Yeah Hokkaido has all the brown bears, I understand.

            • bitofarambler@crazypeople.onlineOPMEnglish
              3·
              13 days ago

              Yea, there are “black brown bears” hang onnn, Ussuri bears. You’re right, they’re all in Hokkaido, which is far less population and urban-center dense than the rest of Japan, so the Ussuri probably still have more space to roam and less food competition than the black bears further south.

              • eestileibEnglish
                2·
                13 days ago

                I would expect those to be the ornery ones out looking for trouble, yeah.

                • bitofarambler@crazypeople.onlineOPMEnglish
                  2·
                  13 days ago

                  Apparently education about bears has been lacking so authorities are making sure people know not to play dead with black bears.

      • IrateAnteater@sh.itjust.worksEnglish
        5·
        13 days ago

        Meh, “dangerous” is a relative term. I looked it up to make sure, and these black bears are are very similar to the black bears we have in North America; they’re basically oversized raccoons. Even if you are old, give it a wack with your cane when it comes near and they’re most likely to run off. They aren’t polar bear dangerous or anything.

        • bitofarambler@crazypeople.onlineOPMEnglish
          8·
          13 days ago

          13 people fought off black bears in Japan last year and got killed or eaten anyway, with another 238 injured by Japanese black bears last year. It’s good to not become over-fearful and it is good to recognize the danger that large wild animals play in your environment.

          Education is a good start.

        • fdnomad@programming.devEnglish
          2·
          13 days ago

          […] approximately 220 people have been injured in 2025, with 13 of these attacks turning deadly. In comparison, there are often fewer than 50 bear attacks across the whole of North America each year, which result in about 2–5 deaths annually.

          according to this article

          Some guy got killed on the way from his front door to his car.

          One spanish tourist stopped his bike to take a pic and got killed.

          etc

    • bitofarambler@crazypeople.onlineOPMEnglish
      4·
      13 days ago

      a working, interactive up-to-date bear map is a sign of competency, not cookery. japan’s great, the map is just too good not to share.

      • Diplomjodler@lemmy.worldEnglish
        3·
        13 days ago

        According to this map, there are bears absolutely everywhere. Basically, the whole place is covered in them.

        • bitofarambler@crazypeople.onlineOPMEnglish
          3·
          13 days ago

          Forests in Honshu, the main island, and many less-populated towns seem to be inundated right now. I’ve hammock-camped across Japan for months multiple times without seeing a bear, but I always have a stick I whack on trees while hiking to announce my presence, and it’s specifically last year and this one that encounters have increased so sharply.