Japan City of Sendai Shoots Bear under Revised Law

Sendai, Miyagi Pref., Oct. 16 (Jiji Press)–The northeastern Japanese city of Sendai has shot dead a bear under a revised law that allows municipal governments to decide whether to shoot the animals in urban areas. The bear appeared near a residential area in Kagitori, Taihaku Ward, in the capital city of Miyagi Prefecture, the Sendai city government said Wednesday. According to Japan’s Environment Ministry, this is the first time that a bear has been killed under the revised wildlife protection and management law, which took effect in September. According to the municipal government of Sendai, a resident informed the Miyagi prefectural police at around 5 p.m. on Tuesday that there was a bear in a forest near the residential area. The prefectural police and the municipal government had warned nearby residents of the bear’s presence. Citing the potential danger to people, the municipal government, in coordination with the police, ensured the safety of nearby areas and had a member of its wildlife damage control team shoot the bear with a hunting rifle shortly before 6 a.m. Wednesday. The revised law allows hunters and others commissioned by municipal governments to shoot bears and wild boars when they enter residential or other inhabited areas, on condition that surrounding safety is ensured. END [Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]