Japanese authorities have sedated and captured a black bear in Utsunomiya, a city near Tokyo, after several days of repeated sightings in residential areas, while another bear continues to evade capture in Fukushima amid a rise in wildlife encounters across Japan. <\/p>\n
The animal was taken into custody after a series of tranquiliser attempts by a veterinarian and police, with officials confirming it was located roughly 2.5km south of Utsunomiya\u2019s main railway station following multiple public reports of sightings, News.Az<\/a> reports, citing BBC.<\/a><\/p>\n According to Utsunomiya East Police, the bear was finally subdued after three tranquiliser shots were fired over a period of around 15 minutes, following an earlier missed attempt.<\/p>\n Residents had reported seeing the animal more than 20 times since Saturday, including near homes, schools and parks, as well as swimming in a river and climbing fences in residential backyards.<\/p>\n The bear, believed to weigh around 100kg, prompted authorities to temporarily close all 94 public primary and middle schools in the city as a precaution.<\/p>\n Officials also said there may have been more than one bear in the area and urged residents to keep doors and windows locked for safety.<\/p>\n In a separate incident, another bear remains at large in Fukushima after injuring four people in a residential district, despite repeated attempts to capture it using tranquiliser methods.<\/p>\n The animal reportedly entered an electronics factory and was later seen unlocking a window to escape, with local officials describing it as \u201cextremely intelligent\u201d after it was observed drinking water from a tap.<\/p>\n Drones have been deployed in the search, while Japan continues to face a surge in bear encounters, with 238 attack victims and 13 deaths reported to the environment ministry in 2025.<\/p>\n In response, authorities have established a ministerial task force and introduced emergency measures, while local governments and companies are increasingly adopting technology such as AI<\/a> monitoring systems, thermal imaging drones and automated tracking tools to detect and follow bears.<\/p>\n