Tokyo Police Conduct Drill to Deter Wild Bears with Repellent Sprays; Bear Sighting Reports Up 2.6 Times in the Capital

The Yomiuri Shimbun

13:56 JST, July 31, 2024

OME, Tokyo — Police in western Tokyo city of Ome conducted a drill to deter wild bears by using animal repellent sprays in a forest in the neighboring Tokyo town of Okutama on Monday.

The drill took place at the Tokyo University of Agriculture’s Okutama practice forest for forestry studies.

The drill was held under the assumption that police had received a call from a local resident who had seen a bear in the area. About 40 police officers who participated in the drill practiced efficient movements to quickly apply animal repellent spray containing capsaicin, the major component in the heat of chili peppers, to the face of a wild bear.

There were 160 reports of Asian black bear sightings in Tokyo from January to June, about 2.6 times more than the same period last year, when there were 61 sightings.

“We don’t know when we’ll be called up to rescue people. We’re preparing for emergency situations,” said the head of the Ome police.