Japanese airport facing ‘bear' traffic control problems on the runway
He might be smarter than the average bear.
A Japanese airport is in a 'stalemate' with a black bear who has repeatedly disrupted operations on the runway and caused a dozen flights to be canceled on Thursday.
The four-foot-tall bear was spotted near the tarmac of the Yamagata Airport at around 7 a.m., initially causing flights to be delayed as staffers struggled to shoo the animal away, Japanese outlet Yomiuri Shimbun reported.
4 A black bear was seen running around Japan's Yamagata Airport on Thursday.
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4 Airport staff tried unsuccessfully to lure the bear away with a car.
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Following the delay, the black bear entered the airport yet again and could be seen running around the tarmac as airport staff tried to used a car to chase it away.
Footage from the airport shows the furry trespasser sprinting away from the vehicle, but the bear proved too difficult to herd away remains elsewhere inside the airport.
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'Given the situation there is no way we can host plane arrivals now,' Yamagata airport official Akira Nagai told Agence France-Presse.
Hunters and officers have since been called to set up traps and catch the bear before he manages to escape the airport.
4 The bear is still believed to be inside the airport, with police and hunters called in to capture the wild animal.
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4 The bear's appearance led to delays and flight cancelations at the Japanese airport.
Photo service japan – stock.adobe.com
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'We're in a stalemate now,' Nagai said.
Japan has seen an uptick in bear encounters over the years as its declining population has seen humans retreat from shrinking rural villages that the large mammals are now reclaiming.
Bear attacks have reached record levels over the past year, with Japan reporting six deaths and 219 attacks. Japan has since approved for hunters to shoot bears found in populated areas.
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Atlantic
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a day ago
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New ‘Jaws' terror: Jersey Shore beachgoer stabbed in leg by needlefish
Move over Jaws — there's a new deadly fish in town. Last week, a swimmer was stabbed in the leg by an Atlantic needlefish while swimming off the Jersey coast, police said. The rare clash between human and needlefish — a relative of the flying fish who have a distinctive bill that's long, narrow, and sharp — happened off Long Beach Island on June 21 at 11:40 a.m. 3 Now, folks going to the beach for a day of fun in the sun need to beware of needlefish. The Washington Post via Getty Images Needlefish are consummable, mostly appearing on the menus of Japanese restaurants, The unnamed adult swimmer was taken to Southern Ocean Medical Center for treatment after the unprovoked encounter with the fish, also known as a long tom, which can reach lengths of up to 3.5 feet and weigh as much as 5 pounds. They generally live in shallow tropical or temperate coastal waters. Some swim along the surface of the open ocean, while others thrive in brackish water. Needlefish species can be found worldwide. Good news for humans — they prefer feasting on shrimp and smaller fish. 3 Needlefish varieties are found all over the world. stephan kerkhofs – Initially, word spread the man had been attacked by a shark. Those rumors were likely fueled by the appearance of 'Dold,' an 11-foot, 761pound great white shark which surfaced June 20 in the waters off the beaches of Asbury Park and Spring Lake. Dold's arrival coincided with the 50th anniversary of the release of Steven Spielberg's 'Jaws.' Thankfully Dold has moved north toward Nantucket since. While uncommon, there have been several reported needlefish incidents in recent years. A young angler barely survived after a needlefish leaped out of the water and impaled his neck while he was fishing in southern Indonesia in 2020. 3 The Atlantic needlefish is most common in the Tri-State area. SailingAway – Back in 2018, a 22-year-old Thai navy cadet was killed after getting speared by a needlefish during a training exercise. The most infamous incident occurred in 1977, when a 10-year-old boy in Hawaii reportedly died during a nocturnal fishing trip with his dad. The fish leapt from the water, and pierced one of his eyes.
