On September 26th, Aomori Prefecture announced an ``Japanese black bear warning''.

According to an announcement by the prefecture, the number of bear sightings this year is 480 as of September 25, which is already the same as in previous years, and there is a risk that mother bears will expand their range in search of food for their cubs. . There have been six cases of human injury caused by bears in the prefecture this year, five of which occurred in the Tsugaru region.

Kazuya Yonezawa, an apple farmer in the Higashimaya area who said his orchard's apples were eaten by a bear this year, said, ``An unprecedented number of bears appear day and night. Even though it's apple harvest time, we're taking precautions against bears.'' I'm just working," he says.

When cameras were set up in the park in late August, bears began to be seen every day from around mid-September. ``We've already killed three bears this year, but there are still bears out there.We often hear reports of bears in other areas.We don't feel safe as apple work is getting into full swing.''

The prefecture has set up a page on its website warning people of the danger, and is making available free of charge manuals for dealing with the infestation and leaflets on how to prevent damage. A person in charge of the Nature Conservation Division's Natural Environment Group said, ``In the Tsugaru region, it is the season for harvesting apples and other fruits.We would like people to store their harvests in warehouses as much as possible, rather than leaving them unattended.''