TOKYO, Oct. 25 (Xinhua) -- Japan's environment ministry has announced that it plans to provide emergency support to local governments over the recent surge in bear attacks on people.
The aid will be provided mainly to the northern prefectures of Hokkaido, Aomori, Iwate and Akita, where such incidents have happened frequently, to cover bear habitat surveys and subsidize the cost of implementing safety measures, the ministry told a press conference Tuesday.
According to the ministry, the number of people attacked by bears has been increasing at an unprecedented pace this fiscal year through next March, reaching 109 as of the end of September.
Calling the spike in the appearance of bears "an extraordinary situation," the ministry warned that due to the poor acorn crops this year, bears may wander near human residential houses until around December, when the animals go into hibernation. ■
