The Environment Ministry announced on November 4 that the number of bear sightings nationwide during the first half of this fiscal year (April to September) stood at 20,792. This significantly exceeds the 15,832 recorded during the same period in fiscal 2024, marking the worst pace since records began in fiscal 2009. The number of bears captured during the first half of this fiscal year also reached 6,063, the highest since 2006.
According to the ministry, the number of sightings compiled from police reports and information from municipalities exceeded 20,000 for the first time in a single half-year period.
Furthermore, the capture figure of 6,063 exceeded the 5,345 recorded for the entire 2024 fiscal year and surpassed the 5,550 recorded during the first half of 2023, when human casualties reached an all-time high. Of the 6,063, 5,983 were culled.
