A town in northern Japan has come up with an idea to prevent wild bear attacks - installing robot wolves.
The town of Takikawa is now using robots made to look like wolves that automatically howl at roaming wild bears to scare them away.
The number of bear attacks in the northernmost island of Hokkaido has increased over the past few months. This coincided with the increase in wild bear sightings - which have hit a five-year high.
A report from national broadcaster NHK said that at least two people had died from attacks this year. Dozens more survived but many suffered serious injuries. The increase in bear attacks led to an emergency government meeting in October but residents decided on their own solution.
The robot wolves, which essentially function like scarecrows, are equipped with sensors that detect bears and other wild animals. Upon detection, the robot wolves howl and scare away animals. One model, called Monster Wolf, moves its head, flashes bright lights and projects 60 different sounds.
Animal experts said the increase in bear attacks might be related to the shortage of acorns in the town's surrounding forests. The lack of food may have forced the bears to move closer to cities as they search for food and shelter. The World Wildlife Fund said deforestation had caused serious habitat loss - which had exacerbated the problem.
Since the installation of the robot wolves, no new reports of bear attacks have been reported. The invention is the brainchild of a local company called Ohta Seiki. According to the company, it had sold more than 70 robot wolves.
Most of those that were sold were placed near farms and industrial areas. However, residents have begun to purchase robot wolves to protect their homes.
"We want to let the bears know, 'Human settlements aren't where you live,' and help with the coexistence of bears and people," the head of Ohta Seiki, Yuji Ota, said in an interview.
