Japanese Firm Overwhelmed by Orders for Robot Wolves After Record Bear Attacks

A Japanese company that produces robot wolves with ferocious looks is swamped by orders following a record number of fatal bear attacks on humans last year.

The Monster Wolf is an animatronic scarecrow featuring flashing red eyes. It howls and growls to repel wild animals.

Ohta Seiki, a firm based in Hokkaido, has taken around 50 orders in 2026, surpassing its usual annual total.

We make them by hand. We cannot make them fast enough now. We are asking our customers to wait two to three months, company president Yuji Ohta told AFP.

Awareness of bear safety and measures against wildlife damage on farm products improved. There was also a growing recognition that our product is effective in dealing with bears, Ohta said.

Orders mainly come from farmers, golf course operators and rural outdoor workers.

Bears killed 13 people across Japan in 2025-2026, more than twice the previous high. More than 200 people were also injured. Last week, Japan confirmed the first fatal bear attack of 2026 and two other suspected fatal attacks.

More than 50,000 bear sightings were recorded nationwide, more than double the previous record set two years earlier, according to official data.

The animals appeared on airport runways, walked on golf courses, roamed near schools and caused panic in supermarkets and hot spring resorts almost daily.

The number of bears captured and culled nearly tripled from a year earlier to 14,601, also an all-time high.

Some northern regions reported in April more than four times as many sightings as last year as the animals emerged from hibernation, local media said. Scientists say the surge in attacks stems from fast-growing bear numbers combined with a falling human population, especially in rural areas.

That depopulation has left bears a chance to expand their range, biologist Koji Yamazaki from Tokyo University of Agriculture told CBS News' Elizabeth Palmer in 2023.

The Monster Wolf has artificial fur over a pipe frame, speakers and a menacing open-mouthed face.

For prices starting around $4,000 or higher, the system includes a battery, solar panels, sensors, speakers and other equipment.

It broadcasts more than 50 recorded sounds, including human voices and electronic noises, audible up to one kilometer away.

The device turns its head side to side, flashes red LED eyes and has a tail with blue LEDs.

Ohta introduced the product in 2016 to prevent damage to crops by deer, boars and bears. It was initially dismissed as a gimmick.

The company now upgrades the device with wheels to chase animals or patrol paths.

Ohta plans a hand-held version for hikers, anglers and schoolchildren, plus artificial intelligence cameras for future models.

We wanted to apply our manufacturing to do our part to deal with bears, he said.