A wolf-like robot in a rice field is meant to drive away wild animals that cause damages to crops in Kisarazu, Chiba prefecture. Photo / Toru Yamanaka, AFP
A wolf-like robot in a rice field is meant to drive away wild animals that cause damages to crops in Kisarazu, Chiba prefecture. Photo / Toru Yamanaka, AFP
Japan has taken on the scourge of increased bear attacks on humans in a typically Japanese way - by creating a pack of robot wolves.
The device, called a Monster Wolf, is designed to scare away bears and other wild animals using flashing red eyes, loud growls and howling sounds.
Ohta Seiki, the Hokkaido-based company that makes the devices, said demand for the machines had surged.
It has already received around 50 orders in 2026, more than the usual volume for an entire year.
Yuji Ohta, the firm’s president, said orders had exceeded normal annual demand within a few months.
Saying that customers were waiting three months to take delivery of their Monster Wolf, Ohta added: “We make them by hand. We cannot make them fast enough now.”
Bears killed 13 people across Japan during the 2025-26 season, while more than 50,000 sightings were recorded nationwide - both record highs, according to official data.
The animals were seen entering homes, approaching schools and roaming through shopping areas - raising concerns about public safety. The number captured and culled nearly tripled from a year earlier to 14,601, also a record high.
The crisis is particularly acute in northern Japan, where local media reported that sightings in April were more than four times higher than last year as the animals emerged from hibernation.
The surge in encounters has been linked to warmer temperatures disrupting hibernation cycles, food shortages caused by crop failures – after Japan recorded its hottest summer in 2025 – and the depopulation of rural mountain communities, all of which are believed to be driving bears closer to human settlements.
The Monster Wolves – hulking machines wrapped in artificial fur and mounted on pipe frames – are being bought by farmers, golf-course operators and construction workers.
A pack of Monster Wolf devices ready to go. The manufacturers say they cannot meet the demand as bear attacks rise in Japan. Photo / AFP
Each unit costs the New Zealand equivalent of $6700 and includes solar panels, batteries, sensors and speakers capable of broadcasting more than 50 different sounds over long distances.
The machines move their heads from side to side while flashing LED lights from their eyes and tails to create a threatening, predatory appearance.
When Ohta Seiki launched the product in 2016 to protect crops from deer, boars and bears, it was widely dismissed as a useless gimmick.
But as wildlife encounters intensify, the company has developed upgraded versions mounted on wheels that can patrol routes and actively chase animals away.
The company is also exploring smaller handheld versions for hikers and schoolchildren, as well as AI-powered camera systems that could automatically detect approaching animals.
Ohta said: “We wanted to apply our manufacturing to do our part to deal with bears.”
Sign up to Herald Premium Editor’s Picks, delivered straight to your inbox every Friday. Editor-in-Chief Murray Kirkness picks the week’s best features, interviews and investigations. Sign up for Herald Premium here.
