Japan Cancels Over 10 Flights After Bear Runs Loose on Airport Runway | Video

Japan: A black bear, alone, managed to give the airport staff at Yamagata Airport in northern Japan a breather. The air traffic came to a standstill as several flights got cancelled followed by a full-blown airport lockdown after repeated runway intrusions by the furry buddy.

The trespasser was first spotted in the early hours of Thursday, prompting officials to immediately shut down operations to ensure safety. Just when authorities thought the coast was clear, the bear made a dramatic reappearance near midday, right on the runway, forcing further cancellations.

Mission: Scare The Bear Off

A video from the scene, which is now viral, shows an airport vehicle flashing blue lights, attempting to scare the bear off the tarmac. While the animal briefly fled, officials believe it is still hiding somewhere within the airport premises.

“We are in a stalemate now,” said airport official, Akira Nagai, to a media outlet, confirming that a total of 12 flights had to be cancelled due to the repeated bear intrusions. The runway remained closed for a while.

In a bid to regain control, authorities deployed hunters and set up traps while police cordoned off the airport perimeter to prevent the bear from escaping into nearby areas.

A Growing 'Problem' Across Japan?

This isn’t an isolated incident. Japan has seen a record number of bear encounters, with numerous bear attacks and fatalities in recent years. This surge in encounters is attributed to factors like a growing bear population, changing food availability due to climate change, and a decline in rural populations and hunting that has led to wild bears wandering into human-dominated areas, including towns, and now airports.

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