The three bears were discovered Wednesday morning when they wandered into the tatami mat factory in the city of Misato in Akita Prefecture in northern Japan, where the number of bear attacks has increased recently.
The police and local representatives rushed to the scene and stood guard wearing helmets and equipped with shields. Local hunters tried to scare off the intruders with fireworks, but to no avail. Later, two cages were set up at the factory entrance.
Forced to kill them
On Thursday morning, the bears had been trapped in the cages, two cubs in one and the adult in another. Television footage shows the cages being removed from the factory and placed on a vehicle using a crane. According to media reports, the bears were later killed as a safety measure to prevent them from returning to the city.
In 2023, a record number of bear attacks, 30, were registered in Akita. More and more of them have occurred in residential areas. According to experts, the bears come from the forest to look for food due to a lack of acorns, which are otherwise their staple food.
Residents have been asked not to leave garbage outside and hikers are asked to carry bells so they can be heard and use anti-bear spray or lie flat on their stomachs if they encounter bears.