Japan Turns To Army Of ‘Monster Wolf’ Robots To Combat Spike In Bear Attacks

Last year, Japan found itself grappling with a surge in bear attacks that led to an unprecedented number of people being killed in the country. That development managed to spark a bit of a panic in the areas that have been impacted, which has led to an increase in business for a company that markets an animatronic “monster wolf” designed to scare them away.

Japan is home to more than 50,000 bears that reside on three of its four major islands. It’s believed that around 12,000 of the Ussuri brown variety live on Hokkaido, while Honshu and Shikoku collectively boast upwards of 45,000 black bears that belong to a species that’s distinct to the country.

Residents have long had a tenuous relationship with the massive mammals that have been responsible for many attacks over the years, including an infamous incident that unfolded in a village in Hokkaido in 1915, where one bear claimed the lives of seven people in less than a week before it was killed.

The Japanese government did not start officially keeping tabs on bear attacks until 2006, and last year, it established a dubious record after they were linked to 13 confirmed fatalities. More than 200 people were also injured, including an incident where a bear wandered inside a grocery store and another where an ultramarathon runner suffered serious wounds after being ambushed during a training session.

Officials in Honshu’s Akita prefecture (which has been the biggest hotbed) went as far as to deploy the military in an attempt to curb the attacks, and some people are now spending thousands of dollars on a very novel solution.

A company that makes “monster wolves” designed to scare bears has been flooded with orders from people in Japan

There are multiple factors that have played a role in the rise in the number of bear attacks in Japan.

Climate change has been blamed for a dwindling food supply that has driven the animals into more populated regions in search of a meal, and they’ve also been bolder about wandering into rural towns and villages that are primarily home to elderly residents, which have begun to thin out as they pass away.

According to CBS News, the estimated death toll for 2026 currently sits at three (although the Japanese government has only confirmed one of those cases), and one company that spent the past decade selling a fairly over-the-top device primarily targeted at farmers has found itself dealing with a spike in demand.

The company in question is the Hokkaido-based Ohta Seiki, which has been producing a product known as the “Monster Wolf” since 2016.

The “environmentally friendly wildlife repellent device” is a solar-powered robot shaped like a wolf with a moveable mask straight out of a Spirit Halloween (which is fitted with red LED lights that are installed in the eye sockets), and the motion-activated contraption is equipped with a speaker that can blare more than 50 different noises.

The “monster wolf” (which will set you back $4,000 for the base model) is mostly designed for farmers looking for a way to keep wild animals away from their crops and livestock. However, it sounds like the market for the device is expanding when you consider Ohta Seiki says the 50 orders it’s received this year matches the total it handled in 2025 and has had to place new customers on a months-long waiting list.

It’s only crazy if it doesn’t work.