A roughly 100-kilogramme bear was cornered and tranquilized on Tuesday following four days of repeated sightings in a city north of Tokyo, local authorities said.
The animal, believed to be a male Asian black bear measuring about a meter in length, was the first of its kind sighted in an urban area of Utsunomiya, Tochigi Prefecture, and the first captured in the vicinity since 2020. It is believed to have wandered down from the mountains north of the city.
The bear was spotted under the eaves of a house at around 2pm, about 2.5 kilometres southeast of JR Utsunomiya Station. As police cordoned off the area, zoo staff authorised by prefectural authorities fired a tranquiliser gun at the animal, hitting it with a third shot at around 3.30pm. The bear was removed from the scene by a hunting association.
"As well as houses, residential areas have many obstacles like thickets, which made capture difficult," an Utsunomiya municipal official said at a press conference.
The city had received 25 reported sightings since Saturday, with officials saying they will remain on alert for about three more days, as the possibility of other bears in the area cannot be ruled out.
The animal was first spotted in a wooded area of Utsunomiya on Saturday before wandering into residential neighbourhoods later that day. It was reportedly seen passing through the city centre early Sunday before moving into residential areas in the southern and eastern parts of the city on Tuesday.
It was spotted on the grounds of Utsunomiya University on Tuesday morning, leading to the cancellation of classes for the entire day.
All 94 municipal elementary and junior high schools have been temporarily closed since Monday and will remain closed through Wednesday.
