VIDEO. In Japan, this shepherd and his dog fight bears to protect them.

Thousands of bears are killed in Japan every year and are seen as a growing threat to people and agriculture. But Junpei Tanaka and his dog Rela, hiding in the forest, have a less brutal strategy to repel them. He sets traps in the form of large barrels in the forest near the city. Inside, darling, to attract and then catch bears. Once the animals fall asleep, they are radio-collared and then released into the wild. Thus, their movements can be followed live.

Global warming is forcing bears closer to populated areas in search of food. “There aren’t enough insects flying around the flowers. They cannot bear fruit, which inevitably affects the food supply of wild bears,” explains Junpei, card in hand.

This year, bears have attacked more than 200 people in the country, six of whom have died. These are record numbers since such statistics began in 2006. The decapitated and bruised human head was found in May near a lake on the big island of Hokkaido, in the north of the country.

This local initiative shows that an alternative exists. “There is a third way instead of the binary choice between protecting or killing all bears,” said Masashi Tsuchiya, a Karuizawa municipal official. This method of “bear herding” is currently unique to Japan, but other municipalities are now interested in it.