Gifu Prefecture announced it will deploy drones emitting dog barks and fireworks sounds to drive bears away from residential areas. The initiative starts later this month in Takayama, Shirakawa village, and other spots where bear attacks on humans have occurred recently. It aims to proactively address rising bear sightings and injuries for resident safety.
The Gifu prefectural government announced on Tuesday that it will begin using drones emitting the sound of dogs barking as well as fireworks to drive bears away from residential areas. The drones will be deployed later this month in Takayama, the village of Shirakawa, and other areas in the central Japan prefecture where humans have recently been attacked by bears.
In Shirakawa, a Spanish male tourist was attacked by a bear cub early last month, sustaining a minor injury. Gifu Gov. Yoshihide Esaki said at a press conference that the prefectural government aims to implement proactive measures to cope with bear sightings and attacks so residents can feel safe.
The prefectural government said it will coordinate with groups of local hunters to decide the number of drones and what routes they should take. There have been 836 bear sightings and four cases of injury in the prefecture from April to October, exceeding the 674 sightings and three injuries from April 2024 to March 2025. This rise underscores the need for innovative approaches like these drone deployments.