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Town in Japan now protecting itself from bears with Monster Wolf robot【Video】

Casey Baseel Oct 21, 2020
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Hokkaido community considers creating an entire wolfpack of howling sentries with glowing red eyes.

Last month, a bear was spotted in a residential area of the town of Takikawa, Hokkaido. While the animals are a symbol of Japan’s northernmost prefecture, they can also be extremely dangerous, especially in autumn as they scavenge for food to gorge themselves on in preparation to hibernate through the winter.

When bear tracks were also spotted neat homes multiple times, the town decided something needed to be done. In situations like this, local governments in Japan will often call in hunters to trap the animal, or if it’s already caused injuries to residents, exterminate it. But instead of contacting the local hunting club, Takikawa decided to get help from a wolf…and not just any wolf, but a Monster Wolf.

https://twitter.com/nhk_news/status/1318076693597343746

The mechanical Monster Wolf is made by Hokkaido machine parts manufacturing company Ohta Seiki. A robotic wildlife deterrent, the Monster Wolf is equipped with infrared sensors that detect when an animal has drawn near.

https://twitter.com/yoshi20001234/status/976310875098300418

Once a sensor is triggered, the head swivels and the LED eyes light up in a demonic red, fully justifying the first half of the Monster Wolf’s name.

モンスターウルフ初めてみたわ。
キモすぎるやろ😇 pic.twitter.com/KzFc1kgZR3

— とりちゃん【bot】 (@coccochan0213) May 5, 2020

While all that is going on, speakers emit a loud, startling sound to drive off the encroaching creature without physically harming it. In order to keep animals from becoming accustomed to the noise and thus no longer afraid of it, the Monster Wolf has a library of some 60 different sounds, including wolf howls, human voices, and even the sound of gunshots.

▼ We recommend turning down your speakers for this video, unless you want to get scared too.

https://twitter.com/fantasticB_XYZ/status/1058921848916733952

▼ A Monster Wolf in action

https://twitter.com/sakamobi/status/976348743376121856

Currently there are Monster Wolves in 62 communities in Japan, but the recent addition to Takikawa is the town’s first. “We have included many methods in its design to drive off bears, so I am confident it will be effective,” said Ohta Seiki president Yuji Ohta. “If this can help create an environment that bears and people can both live in, I will be happy.”

Since the Takikawa installation no new bear sightings have been reported in the neighborhood, so it seems to be working well, and the town is now considering a widespread introduction of Monster Wolf protectors next month (which, unfortunately, means they won’t be in place for Halloween).

Sources: NHK News Web, Ohta Seiki
Top image: Ohta Seiki
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Following Casey on Twitter is not an effective bear deterrent.