Japan Is Using AI, Drones and Wolf Robots to Keep Bears at Bay
Authorities are using AI cameras, drones and bear dogs as encounters climb, with 13 deaths and more than 220 injuries reported in the latest year.
- Bear attacks in Japan hit a record high with 13 deaths and more than 220 injuries between April 2025 and March 2026, prompting the government to announce a plan reducing bear populations by 62% to 67% through culling.
- Shrinking rural populations since World War II abandoned farmland, blurring the boundary between forests and towns, while climate change has reduced natural food sources for the estimated 57,000 bears in Japan.
- Local authorities are deploying $4,000 Monster Wolf robots to mimic extinct predators, while Shintotsukawa operates drones launching within 10 minutes of sightings and Gunma uses AI-enabled cameras to identify and track animals.
- The Nagano-based Picchio Wildlife Research Center deploys Finnish Karelian bear dogs for nonlethal deterrence, while the Kumamap app with nearly 6 million users tracks 156,631 incidents to help hikers and locals make informed decisions.
- While Tokyo-based engineer Danyel Koca notes high costs and scalability limit these technologies, Liam Adcock of Picchio suggests Japan's nonlethal methods offer global lessons, citing a Montana study where drones hazed bears 91 percent of the time.
24 Articles
24 Articles
Berliner Morgenpost
In Japan, bear attacks are increasing. Drones, artificial intelligence and wolf robots are now intended to reduce the danger to people.
In Japan, there were once semi-wild dogs that chased bears away from populated areas.
Japan is using AI, drones and wolf robots to keep bears at bay
Bear attacks in Japan have hit a record high, with 13 deaths and more than 220 injuries recorded between April 2025 and March 2026. It is a sharp increase from the same period the previous year, when three people died and 82 were hurt, and as fall approaches, the bears’ peak feeding season, authorities are … The post Japan is using AI, drones and wolf robots to keep bears at bay appeared first on Egypt Independent.
In Japan, the conflict between humans and bears has reached an unprecedented level in recent years. The number of victims has increased sharply, and the proximity of autumn, when animals intensify their feeding before hibernation, prompts the authorities to seek increasingly effective solutions to protect communities.
As autumn approaches, a period during which bears intensively search for food to prepare for winter, the Authorities are on heightened alert.
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