Japanese town deploys 'Monster Wolf' robots to fend off bears

There had been a string of bear attacks before the monster wolf robots were installed. Photo / Ohta Seiki

With bear sightings in Japan at a five-year high this year, one Japanese town has come up with an unconventional, and rather high-tech, solution to tackle the problem.

The town of Takikawa, on the northern island of Hokkaido, has installed Monster Wolf robots to scare off the bears that have been spotted around the area.

The robots appear to be working because, since they've been installed, there have been no bear sightings.

The decision to install the monster wolf robots came after a string of bear attacks this year, including two fatal ones.

The Monster Wolf is a robot with four legs, a hairy body and red, glowing eyes.

There had been a string of bear attacks before the monster wolf robots were installed. Photo / Ohta Seiki

The robot moves its head and emits wolf-like noises.

Ohta Seiki, the robot manufacturer, has sold about 70 of these monster wolf robots in the last two years.

The Japanese wolf was hunted to extinction more than 100 years ago and, since the disappearance of that predator, bear sightings have been more and more common.

Bears have also reportedly become more dangerous in their search for food ahead from going into hibertion later in November. With fewer nuts in the wild, the bears are heading closer to towns and posing a bigger risk to local populations.