FILE PHOTO: A brown bear gnaws at the cage it is trapped in in Sunagawa, Hokkaido Prefecture, Japan October 16, 2024. REUTERS/Sakura Murakami/File Photo
KAZUNO, Japan (Reuters) -Japan deployed troops to the country's rugged north on Wednesday to help trap bears after local authorities said besieged communities were struggling to cope with an unprecedented wave of attacks.
The operation began in Kazuno, a small town nestled among forested mountains that has seen a sharp rise in bear sightings. For weeks, residents have been urged to avoid the thick woods and stay indoors after dark to keep clear of bears foraging near homes for food.
