NEMURO, Hokkaido -- OSO18: the code name for the brown bear attacking grazing cattle in eastern Hokkaido. In the past two years, 55 cattle are believed to have been attacked by the bear, 26 fatally. But still there is no prospect of capturing the perpetrator.
The brown bear is an extraordinarily large male, and its code name is derived from the Shimoosotsubetsu area in the town of Shibecha where the first dairy cow was attacked in July 2019, plus the 18-centimeter span of his paw prints.
On July 16 this year, three calves were found dead at municipal ranches in the town of Akkeshi, with claw and bite marks on their stomachs, all of which are believed to have been caused by the brown bear. The two ranches where the cattle were grazing are located on the border with Shibecha, and it seems that the bear had crossed the town border into Akkeshi.
The enormous footprint of a brown bear believed to have attacked cattle is seen in the town of Shibecha, Hokkaido, on Sept. 27, 2019. (Photo courtesy of the Shibecha Municipal Government)
Nine cattle in total were attacked in Akkeshi in four cases over a month ending in August, and seven of them died. To prevent further damage, about 800 cattle, including calves, that had been entrusted to the town's ranches were "evacuated" by moving them into barns or returning them to dairy farmers.
In Shibecha, 46 cattle have been attacked, including 15 this year, with 19 deaths.
The Research Institute of Energy, Environment and Geology of the Hokkaido Research Organization analyzed the DNA of brown bear body hair collected on July 13 at a ranch in Akkeshi, and found that it matched the DNA of OSO18. It also matched the DNA of several body hairs collected in other places. The institute believes that there is a high possibility that the bear is a very large male, which have become scarce in recent years.
OSO18 seems to have quite different habits from those of the typical brown bear. Generally, brown bears are very possessive of their prey, hiding their leftovers in the ground and repeatedly digging them up to eat. OSO18, on the other hand, does not hide his leftovers and rarely eats the cattle he has attacked, and when he does, it's only a small portion of the back meat.
Some analyses of the Hokkaido Prefectural Government data suggest that OSO18 attacks cattle for sport. The tricky part is that he only moves at night, so does not appear in the open. He also targets calves grazing in large open areas such as pastures, and rarely attacks in the same locale twice.
On Aug. 19 and 31, the Hokkaido government held consultations with officials from both towns and confirmed measures such as strengthening information-sharing, but did not come up with ideas for trapping the bear. Some agricultural groups expressed concern, with one official saying, "What dairy farmers fear most is that brown bears will invade their barns."
OSO18 only appear at night, but discharging hunting rifles at night is prohibited in principle by Wildlife Protection, Control, and Hunting Management Act. The cattle attacks have concentrated in the three-month span from late June to mid-September since they began in 2019, meaning there is no snow to track the bear's footprints as there would be in early spring.
The town of Shibecha tried an infrared-equipped drone, but it was blocked by foliage and could not detect OSO18. A town representative expressed their frustration, saying, "He is the only one we want to catch, but he is one step ahead of us."
Yoshikazu Sato, a professor of wildlife ecology at Rakuno Gakuen University and author of the book "Conservation and Management of Urban Bears: People and Bears Coexisting in Hokkaido," published by University of Tokyo Press in July, asserted that OSO18 is one of the largest males in Hokkaido. About capturing the beast, he said, "I think both towns are doing everything they can. The only other thing I can think of is that they should get advice from someone who has experience setting box traps."
(Japanese original by Hiroaki Homma, Nemuro Bureau)
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