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Authorities in Utsunomiya have captured the wild black bear that was gripping the Japanese city after a several-day manhunt. On Tuesday, 94 primary and secondary schools closed their doors for the second consecutive day because massively sought after was referred to as the 100 kilo heavy bear.
The bear was first spotted in Utsunomiya last Saturday. It was the first time ever that a wild bear was spotted in the city of more than half a million inhabitants. In recent days, several residents reported the bear, after which authorities decided to close schools on Monday.
When the bear reappeared in a residential area early Tuesday afternoon, police cars and other vehicles involved in the search immediately cordoned off the area.
Officers patrolled the area for more than an hour, some with long sticks and others with metal shields. Television channels filmed the search live from helicopters.
The adult bear, estimated to weigh about 200 pounds, was eventually shot with a tranquilizer gun, loaded into a cage on a truck and taken away. The city has not yet decided what to do with the bear.
Increasingly bigger problem
Wild bears are becoming an increasing problem in Japan. In 12 months, 238 bear attack victims were reported, including 13 deaths.
Last week a bear injured four people in Fukushima. The bear was first seen there at a car factory, where two people were bitten. The animal then moved to a residential area and a business park, where two other people were seized. One of them was seriously injured.
Last month, a Japanese bear also killed someone and injured five people.
According to experts, the bears leave the mountains and move to places where people live. There, bears enter houses and supermarkets, among other things. The authorities are trying to do something about this and have even deployed the army before.
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