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Bear killed after wandering around Ishikawa shopping mall for more than 13 hours

28 Comments

A bear wandered into a large shopping center in Kaga City, Ishikawa Prefecture, on Monday morning and remained there all day until it was killed .

The bear entered the Abio City Kaga shopping mall through a delivery entrance at around 7:50 a.m. The mall, which had not yet opened, suspended business operations and all staff and maintenance personnel were evacuated, Fuji TV reported.

Police were dispatched to the scene but it took them 13 1/2 hours to find the bear inside the shopping complex. The bear was killed by a member of a local hunting association at around 9:10 p.m.

Upon learning that the bear was killed, a resident stated, “I must admit that I feel a bit relieved. There have been a lot of bear sightings recently. Since children also commute to school in the morning, I feel at ease.”

A record number of 462 bear sightings to Oct 13 have been reported in the prefecture.

© Japan Today

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28 Comments
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Kevin Smith’s new film, “Mallbears.”

4 ( +6 / -2 )

Isn't there a more humane way of dealing with the bears? Like using a tranquilizer and transporting it to the mountains or putting it in a zoo or something?

22 ( +25 / -3 )

Isn't there a more humane way of dealing with the bears? Like using a tranquilizer and transporting it to the mountains or putting it in a zoo or something?

If the animal was in a safe environment (like a zoo enclosure) tranquilizers are an option. In a public place there's more chance of the bear running off, getting even more angry, damaging things, finding someone to attack, before the tranquilizer has any effect.

-8 ( +5 / -13 )

It took them 13 1/2 hours to find a bear in a shopping mall? Was it wearing a disguise?

21 ( +21 / -0 )

Tranquillisers are yet to be part of the response kit. The mall was closed enough for a leathal shot to be taken. It's baffling to see police with nets running around distressing the animal be it pig, dear, monkey, bear when a dart would solve everything. They act fast all you need is an experienced vet to judge the body weight. Having a member of a hunting club sneaking around the Mall with a crowd of police in tow. Just not a professional image or action.

11 ( +11 / -0 )

In a public place there's more chance of the bear running off, getting even more angry, damaging things, finding someone to attack, before the tranquilizer has any effect.

I'm pretty sure that the shopping mall was deserted and all the doors locked.

14 ( +14 / -0 )

Why get a civilian club member? The police have trained snipers? Good training to shot something other than paper. The whole thing smacks of amateur hour. It happens again and again but there are no improvements. The anti terrorist squad should be able to clear a mall under 13hrs and neutralise the threat, there were no hostages clear playing field. If you can't find a dart gun? Good training opinion.

4 ( +6 / -2 )

13hrs? Guessing the security cameras were not working, or forgotten in the panic.

9 ( +9 / -0 )

barbaric and Japan has never heard of tranquilizers.

6 ( +10 / -4 )

Having read other news here the biggest threat to humans in Ishikawa is humans...

There are many more hunters than animal catchers so the hunters get there first. I used to live in Toyama-ken and the hunters sell bear meat to local restaurants.

There was no need to shoot this bear. This time of year they travel far to fill up before hibernation.

10 ( +11 / -1 )

Why get a civilian club member? The police have trained snipers?

Because the local hunters’ associations are always looking to get their jollies.

A few years ago the town where I live had a problem (supposedly) with birds eating sunflower seeds sown in preparation for a summer sunflower festival. Instead of just covering the fields with nets until the seeds sprouted, the hunters association volunteered to ‘protect’ the fields - any excuse to kill wildlife, especially when the ammo is paid for out of taxes. (An outcry from the locals forced the town to go with the netting option, saving the crows, pigeons and the festival.

9 ( +9 / -0 )

It was probably a black bear

-2 ( +1 / -3 )

Police were dispatched to the scene but it took them 13 1/2 hours to find the bear inside the shopping complex. The bear was killed by a member of a local hunting association at around 9:10 p.m.

How big is this mall?

So the cops were searching for that long, and they didn't even finish the job?

What were they doing for that long? Having meetings about which possible store the bear was in? Were they trying to eat their donuts and figuring out if the bear was a female or male?

4 ( +4 / -0 )

13.5 hours to find a bear in a mall?

Ever think of using a dog to track it?

3 ( +3 / -0 )

WTF. Shooting a bear in a shopping mall? Let alone using some barbarian from a hunting association aka club! I worked for the U.S. Park Service, capturing and relocating a bear is not rocket science.

4 ( +6 / -2 )

@egads man!, no because bears are not in low numbers in Japan. It won't do you any good for just capturing them and release them into the woods.

Overpopulation cause bears to seek more food in places where humans goes. Japan always had problems with keeping the bears numbers low in order to balance things out. Not many hunters would actively go hunt bears. Espeically because the gun laws are so strict and is expense to keep.

Every year a lot of people get injured by bears and even some killed. The number of bears has to been kept in control otherwise if there isn't enough food in their territory, they would goes elsewhere.

Plus the hunters can good use of every bit of the bear. Meat, pelt, claws etc.

-3 ( +1 / -4 )

Overpopulation cause bears to seek more food in places where humans goes

The black bear population in Japan is estimated at between 15,000 and 20,000. Far from overpopulation, it’s already been made extinct in Kyushu and Shikoku, is designated as a vulnerable species in the Red Data Book of the International Union for Conservation of Nature, and is supposedly protected by the Washington Convention.

Plus the hunters can good use of every bit of the bear. Meat, pelt, claws etc.

Depends on your definition of ‘good use’. Like ‘every bit of the whale is put to good use’?

Humbug.

3 ( +4 / -1 )

How sad. How completely unnecessary too.  Steve Searles, aka the "Bear Whisperer" of Mammoth Lakes California, has shown the world better nonlethal ways to haze bears and keep them away from human habitation. And as pointed out above if a bear simply will not cooperate you dart them with a tranquilizer and transport them in a cage to someplace where they won't bother humans. Shooting is all wrong. Steve Searles has chased many a hungry bear out of the big supermarket in Mammoth Lakes. He would wave his arms and in his deep booming voice yell "BAD BEAR" at the offending ursine. In this instance I want to yell BAD HUMAN.

2 ( +2 / -0 )

@cleo, when i said overpopulation i meant in a region and not the numbers themselves. In every territory there is a balance. once a certain animal is too overpopulated in that area, it can cause major damages. This is why most countries have anually hunting seasons. In order to reduce the numbers in a certain region. And bears because of their size has no natural predators meaning once no one is controlling the numbers, it will become very bad.

A fores that can only feed 10 bears can not have twice the numbers or it wil cause problems for the other animals. Which is why you don't just release animals into the wild and disrupt the ecology system in that area.

Why you think some countries allow certain animals to be hunted during the hunting season?

-2 ( +1 / -3 )

"...once a certain animal is too overpopulated in that area, it can cause major damages."

We speak, now, of the Earth itself? Which animal would THAT be? And we use the same tactics for THAT animal as we see here used on the bear...

2 ( +2 / -0 )

All Animal Rights Group, what are u doing and where are you? This is the second time in about a week.

Now how will poor cubs survive without their parents? They will have tough time with the wolves. Poor Bear.

0 ( +1 / -1 )

@Hiro

Many species have been eradicated in Japan by humans.Basically, conservation has never been considered in any meaningful way.

Please learn your history

-1 ( +0 / -1 )

 most countries have anually hunting seasons. In order to reduce the numbers in a certain region. 

I greatly doubted your claim that ‘most countries have anually (sic) hunting seasons’ for bears. I tried googling ‘bear hunting’ and apart from one reference to Scandinavia issuing a hundred or so hunting permits a couple of years ago, literally every entry was some American boasting about the ‘rush’ to be got from killing a bear. All about the fun of it. Little to no mention of hunting to reduce numbers, all about the fun of killing. I found it sickening.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

I think Hiro means hunting seasons in general, not just for bears, like deer or turkey season in the US.

Still doesn’t mean it’s necessary to kill the bear as the first option. If they tranquilized and tagged it with a tracker (if there was a group with that kind of conservation technology in Japan to begin with lol), they could get a better grasp of the bear situation and prepare preventative measures.

1 ( +1 / -0 )

Did they have to kill the bear? The bear didn't attack anyone at all! Put it to sleep and relocate it to the wild. These people are so in-expereinced! I saw this on the news and they had one little old man with a flimsy "riot shield" (prolly from the '60s) who was escorting like 35 people from the mall to safety. Really? Come on now, Japan!

0 ( +0 / -0 )

13 1/2 Hours and the end result is to kill the bear. That's just wrong, really, really wrong...

1 ( +1 / -0 )

The bear should have been saved if the Kaga Municipal Government asked the animal rescue team to handle this case instead of the local hunting team.

1 ( +1 / -0 )

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