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Utsunomiya Tranquilizes Roaming Bear After Three-Day Chase

By Drooid · Oct 26, 2026, 2:43 AM UTC · How we work

Summary

Story summary

Utsunomiya city officials and zookeeper Tetsuo Iso tranquilized a roaming male bear in early June 2026.
The three-day chase forced school closures and prompted residents to search their gardens.
Japan recorded 238 bear attacks and 13 fatalities in the last fiscal year.
The roadmap calls for 2,500 capture officials and 10,000 traps by 2030.
It seeks to cut Asian black bear populations to 62-67% of current levels in three regions.

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Story summary

Utsunomiya city officials and zookeeper Tetsuo Iso tranquilized a roaming male bear in early June 2026.
The three-day chase forced school closures and prompted residents to search their gardens.
Japan recorded 238 bear attacks and 13 fatalities in the last fiscal year.
The roadmap calls for 2,500 capture officials and 10,000 traps by 2030.
It seeks to cut Asian black bear populations to 62-67% of current levels in three regions.