Get the scoop on the full photo! The last days of “OSO18,” the deadliest giant brown bear weighing over 300 kg.

Still, the horror persists.

All the carcasses were dismantled except for some tusks, which were not left behind. This is because the hunters who killed them did not realize that they were osso and sold them wholesale to dismantling companies. They were sold to gibier restaurants and to individuals for human consumption. The vicious “vermin” became part of the cycle of the meat industry.

A hunter who belonged to the Shibecha Chapter of the Hokkaido Hunting Fraternity Association and spent five years chasing the oso, confides his mixed feelings.

I was surprised when I heard that the oso had been exterminated. Of course I am happy about it, but to be honest, I am also frustrated. I had been determined to avenge the hunter’s death and catch him at Shibecha. After Oso appeared, all I could think about day and night was shooting him. There has never been a brown bear that has caused this much damage. We wanted to catch him and preserve Oso by stuffing him to show the damage to future generations. ……”

But the threat of giant brown bears is not likely to be solved by Oso’s extermination.

At least we have eliminated the risk of damage from Oso, which in itself is a good thing. That in itself is a good thing. But it is very likely that a second or third Oso will emerge in the future, and after five years of existence, they will certainly have left offspring. Even if they don’t have Oso’s DNA, some brown bears will have learned from Oso that it is safe to attack dairy cows. Defeating Oso has not fundamentally solved the brown bear problem.

The rare monster has been exterminated and still terrifies people. This is the difficulty for humans to live in harmony with nature. There is much for us to learn from OSO.

From the September 15 and 22, 2023 issues of FRIDAY