An advanced drone to deter bears in Japan

Japan’s Gifu Prefecture has begun using a device its developers call a “hunting drone” to deter bears. The drone emits a loud dog barking sound as it flies over an orchard that has recently been subject to repeated appearances of these wild animals, and at some point, it can set off sound fireworks to drive bears away from the area.

The new device, which seems strange, is an advanced technical solution that was recently used by the local government of Gifu Prefecture to prevent bears from eating apples and peaches in the “Fruits Park Kuroichi” orchard.

According to Naofumi Yoshikawa, an official in the prefecture’s Department of Environmental Affairs, who is supervising the experiment, the drone is an immediate measure to respond to the increase in the number of bear sightings in the area, which has increased about eight-fold this fall compared to last year. In turn, the head of the local farm cooperative, Masahiko Amaki, said: “While the sound of the drone was getting louder in the air, the fear of bears remained.” A bear warning sign at the beginning of a walking trail near the farm urged hikers not to walk. On their own.