TOKYO (The Japan News/ANN): Amid increasing sightings of bears in populated areas across Japan, the government has released an animated video online for children, outlining precautions to avoid being harmed by bears.
Titled Three Rules To Avoid Being Attacked By A Bear, the video summarises key points for preventing injuries in an anime lasting about 1½ minutes.
The three rules are:
Checking bear sighting maps to avoid areas where encounters are likely
Making one’s presence known by ringing a bear bell or talking to keep bears from approaching
Quietly leaving an area instead of shouting or running away with one’s back turned if a bear is sighted
The video is narrated by TV personality Abareru-kun and also shows a defensive posture to be used in the event of an attack: lying face down and covering the back of the neck with one’s hands.
The Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology Ministry is urging education boards nationwide to actively promote the anime.
An Environment Ministry official said: “I imagine families may visit areas with bears during summer vacation. We want people to learn how to act to prevent becoming victims of bear attacks.”
The video can be viewed on websites including the Government Public Relations Online Japanese site. -- THE JAPAN NEWS/ASIA NEWS NETWORK
