With Hokkaido’s brown bears out of hibernation and the summer tourist season about to begin, the city of Sapporo is stepping up efforts to ensure that chance encounters between bears in search of food and people enjoying the beauty of nature will be kept to a minimum.
Visitors are urged not to walk alone, to carry bear bells and bear spray, and to whistle or clap their hands while walking. Extra precautions should be taken by anyone transporting food, in case bears are encountered that have become accustomed to the taste of kitchen compost or human food.
The warnings come amid increased contact between people and bears. In fiscal year 2023, which ended March 31, there were 227 official reports of bear sightings in Sapporo, the highest number since 2018. These included not only bear sightings sometimes caught on camera, but also discoveries of their tracks or feces. From April 1 to May 7 – the end of the Golden Week holiday period and a time when bears come out of hibernation – eight sightings have been reported.
