A "Cow Belt" to Drive Wild Bears Away

Japan is a tiny country with relatively many inhabitants sharing life with animals. Animals - I mean wild animals living on their own away from humans. In other words, humans and wild animals habituate from each other - that is, under the normal circumstances.

Now, abnormalcy has somehow set in and more bears are attacking and frequently killing humans in some areas in Japan. Mostly aged in their 70's and 80's, the victims are attacked while picking a certain wild, edible plant that's often a favorite of bears. Why asking their lives alone deep in the woods picking the plant? Why, it happens to fetch a good price. The elderly risk their lives to go after the plant. What a pity.

That said, here's a bit of smart idea to keep the roaming bears farther away.

In Toyama, west of Tokyo on Japan Sea side of Japan, an experiment is underway to keep bears and boars away with a cattle ranch opened midway. The idea, of course, to have larger-sized animals to graze while checking bears and boars from trespassing the human area of living.

Toyama Prefecture plans to open 18 of such pastures and today, June 27, 2 cows were released in a 2-hectare "Cow Belt". These two are named "Choko" and "Himawari (Sunflower)" and local children fed them with new-mown hay to mark the day.

In the area where the cow belt was set open, a few cases of bear attack are already reported. Local people hope to keep these cow belts open till mid October.

Chairman of the Akoyano Woods Development Club, Akimoto Hirose, who initiated the campaign comments:

"We are told these cow belts are effective in keeping bears away . We only hope that this will help eliminate bear risks and make this community safe to live in."

By the way, would those cows sleep in peace? (Nathan Shiga)