Bears versus robot wolves in ageing Japan

With gleaming red eyes, bone-chilling howls and bared fangs, animals scatter for cover at the sight of this beast.

But this is no ordinary wolf - or even a real one.

Originally designed to keep wild animals away from farms, authorities now use this mechanical wolf to stop bears from entering urban areas and attacking people.

The Monster Wolf was first used in Takikawa city in the autumn of 2020, according to Motohiro Miyasaka, president of its manufacturer, Wolf Kamuy. Since then, more and more local governments have ordered it.

The number of bear attacks in Japan has been rising at an alarming rate, authorities say.

Experts say the main reason is that people, particularly young people, are leaving rural farming villages. Many of them have migrated to big cities, emptying villages or towns that have already been shrinking due to an ageing population.

"More and more, rural farmlands in the foothills that once acted as buffer zones between the bears and humans are disappearing," said Shinsuke Koike, a professor at the Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology whose research centres on bears, biodiversity, and forest ecosystems.

As a result, young bears have over the decades moved into the untended woodlands, living closer to cities, getting used to bright lights and loud noises, and becoming less afraid of humans.