Bear on runway forces airport in Japan to cancel flights: “We’re in a stalemate”

A bear The roaming of the track forced a Japanese airport to cancel flights on Thursday and declare itself prohibited for passengers for the day.

The black bear appeared at Yamagata Airport in northern Japan, immediately causing the closure of its track. The bear, which was about four feet high, was spotted for the first time near the track around 7 a.m. on Thursday, the Yomiuri Shimbun reported.

This first observation led to a delay of up to an hour of four flights, before the animal reappears around noon, this time “flowing” on the track.

The airport staff used a car to drive it out and once again closed the track, the bear still generally somewhere in the establishment.

“Given the situation, there is no way to accommodate aircraft arrivals now,” AFP airport manager Akira Nagai, adding that the second closure led to 12 flight cancellations.

The hunters were brought to install a trap and police surrounding the airport to prevent the bear from escaping, “we are in a dead end,” said Nagai.

The installation plans to keep the track closed until 8:00 p.m. around 8:00 p.m., said the manager.

Human meetings with bears have reached record levels in Japan, 219 people attacked and six deaths during the 12 months to April 2024.

Last month, an observation of bear brought a Premature end to a golf tournament In central Japan, organizers citing safety precautions.

Climate change affecting food sources and time of hibernation is a key factor, but as the aging population of Japan shrinks, humans leave rural areas, which also leaves room for bears to move.

“Then, this area recovered in the forest, so bears have the opportunity to extend their range,” said biologist Koji Yamazaki, from the University of Agriculture of Tokyo, told CBS News‘Elizabeth Palmer in 2023.

Japan is one of the only places on the planet where a large kind of mammal has recovered the habitat – which is good news for bears, but if, as biologists suspect, the bear population grows, the country will have to find new ways to protect people and vital infrastructure like airports, animals.

The Japanese government in February approved a bill allowing hunters to shoot bears in populated areas.

In December, a unleash Thanks to a Japanese supermarket for two days, it was attracted to foods covered with honey. Police said the animal had been trapped and killed later.