Latest Images of OSO18 — the Most Feared Giant Brown Bear that Appeared Again this Year
Giant bear weighing over 300 kilograms attacked 63 cows, leaving neighboring residents trembling in fear
A dairy cow, weighing about 200 kilograms, was found dead with its spine smashed. I wondered what kind of power he had. I have not heard of a bear attacking a cow in the last 50 years. We have installed electric fences and traps, but so far they have had no effect.
The huge body weighing more than 300 kilograms has the power to easily kill cows. The most feared brown bear, called “OSO18” because of the name of the place, Osotsubetsu, in Shibecha Town, Hokkaido, where the damage is remarkable, and its huge footprints measuring 18 cm across, has appeared again this year. An official at the Shibecha Town Hall said.
From the first confirmed attack in 2007 to the end of July this year, 63 cows have been attacked, with the total damage amounting to 18 million yen. The town is taking countermeasures and has invested 8.6 million yen this year to exterminate the cows, including the cost of operating hunters.
This magazine obtained the latest photos of OSO18. The photo above was taken by a surveillance camera installed in Shibecha at around midnight in mid-July. There is a ranch in the vicinity where a cow was killed about five days ago.
OSO18″ is very vigilant and has only been caught on surveillance cameras on two previous occasions. He has become accustomed to the latest repelling devices that use light and sound to drive animals away, and naturally he does not fall into traps. In fact, the farmers have even criticized the current situation in which only young male bears are being captured, saying that they have no more rivals and are just creating a more comfortable environment for the bears.
Is there anything that can be done to stop the damage? Professor Yoshikazu Sato of Dairy Farming University, who specializes in research on brown bears, points out, “The main cause of the damage is the loss of food due to global warming.
Global warming has changed the growing season of plants, which are the brown bears’ staple food, and there is a shortage of food during the summer. In addition, the increase in large-scale grazing has made it possible to attack livestock in places where they cannot be seen. Effective countermeasures are difficult to implement. It may be as simple as increasing the number of hunters and increasing patrols. These are first aid measures, but first we have to stop the damage.”
A solution is awaited as soon as possible.
From the August 19 and 26, 2022 issues of FRIDAY
