The Japanese government plans to hire hunters to cull bears amid growing alarm in the country over a sharp increase in bear attacks, as the death toll has risen to 12, UNN reports with reference to the BBC.
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The country's Ministry of Environment announced on Thursday that it would allocate funds to hire licensed hunters and other personnel to deal with bears that stray into residential areas and attack people.
The move is among measures proposed on Thursday after a high-level meeting was held in the country to address the growing bear problem.
This year, 12 people have died from bear attacks - the highest number since tracking began in the 2000s. Among them are a man delivering newspapers in Hokkaido and a 67-year-old man found dead in his garden in Iwate.
The government, which calls bears a serious threat to public safety, is also considering allowing police officers to shoot bears with rifles. Officials have until mid-November to finalize a plan of countermeasures against the increasing bear attacks.
Bears have been spotted stealing from supermarkets and schools, and attacking residents going about their daily lives.
Japan is home to two species of bears: the Japanese black bear and the larger and generally more aggressive brown bear, which lives on the island of Hokkaido.
More than 100 people have been injured by bears this year, including at least one foreigner who was attacked near a bus stop in a popular tourist destination.
The problem is particularly acute in Akita Prefecture in northern Japan, where large mountain ranges are located and where the highest number of victims has been recorded.
This week, authorities announced that the Japan Self-Defense Forces would be deployed to assist the Akita government in trapping and deterring bears.
"People's lives and livelihoods are at risk," Defense Minister Shinjiro Koizumi said on Tuesday, according to Kyodo news agency.
Current legislation prohibits the shooting of bears by troops, but they can assist hunters with trapping and transporting killed bears.
Akita Governor Kenta Suzuki said that people dealing with the bear problem on the ground are exhausted.
Japanese hunters are aging, and their numbers are declining, which corresponds to a decrease in the popularity of hunting this mammal, which was once valued for its fur and bile.
This makes populations more susceptible to attacks, as bears increasingly stray into human habitats. Experts say that a shortage of beech nuts due to climate change may be driving hungry animals into people's homes.
Population decline in residential areas is also cited as a contributing factor.
In September, Japan eased gun regulations to make it easier to shoot bears in residential areas.