A wild Asian black bear that Kanagawa Prefecture released deep into the mountains was back near a Hadano city park three days later, and was captured and killed on Oct. 31. City staff who handled the response say they are not sure the first decision was the right one.
"At this stage, whether it was right to release it or right to kill it, honestly, we don't know," a staff member at the Hadano urban agriculture support center said. The center handled the city's response to the bear.
Tagged and released
Hadano had received a run of bear sightings from Oct. 11. Before dawn on Oct. 20, a bear was found in a trap set near Kōbōyama Park in the city, a national newspaper reporter covering the police beat said. The same day it was released in the interior of the Tanzawa range with an identification tag on its ear.
The captured animal was male, 136 cm long and weighing 101.3 kg. "Looking at its build, it seemed to be eating relatively well," the center staff member said. The decision to release it into the mountains was made by the prefecture, which took the lead, the staff member said.
The bear was also put through what is called learning release — being made to associate humans with fear before it is set free. A prefectural specialist carried it out, though the center staff member said it was not clear what the specialist had done.
At about 8:45 p.m. on Oct. 23, a sensor camera set near Zenba Pass on the north side of Kōbōyama Park recorded a bear. A trace survey the next day confirmed it was the same animal that had been released.
“Honestly, I also think, why did it come back?”a staff member at the Hadano urban agriculture support center
Trails closed, children walked home in groups
The city closed seven routes up Mount Asama and Mount Gongen from Oct. 13. When the bear returned on Oct. 23, it closed 21 more routes on Kōbōyama. The center has six staff, far too few, and workers were pulled in from other departments to put up barricades and signs reading "No entry" and "Beware of bears" through the weekends.
The city worked with police, firefighters and its community safety division to keep residents out of harm's way. Staff patrolled and warned people over loudspeakers.
Suehiro Elementary School near the park had children walk home in groups from Oct. 16 to Oct. 26, the first time the school had done so. Group walks to school are routine. Group walks home are not.
The city hall fielded a stream of opinions by phone and email. Many thanked the city for releasing the bear. That changed once the animal came back.
"If bears keep coming back this often, we're in trouble," the staff member said. "A commotion like this is a first for Hadano, and everyone has been through a great deal."