STATUSOF JAPANESEBLACKBEAR
TOSHIHIRO
HAZUMI,WildlifeManagementOffice, Inc., 1-8-18 TeraodaiTama-ku,Kawasaki214, Japan
thibetanus
Abstract.This reportreviewsthe statusof Japaneseblackbear(Selenarctos
japonicus),andproposesa conservation
planfor this
of dataand densityestimatesof 0.11-0.18
species. Ten thousandblackbearsare estimatedto live in Japanas estimatedby distribution
fordepredations
on agricultural
bears/km2.Annualharvestis morethan2,000. Morethan1,000bearsarekilledas pestson plantations
products
the activebearseason. The government
does not manageblackbearson the biologicalbasisof
conflictsthroughout
andotherbear-human
valueof gallbladder
threatens
Japanesebearsas in otherAsiancountries.
huntingseasons,numbers,sex, or age at harvest.Highcommercial
Bearhabitatwas diminishedby timbercuttingfor resourcesduringtheWorldWarII period. (Therapideconomicgrowthof Japanhas been
consumingbearhabitatall over the world.) For the conservationof bears,socialeducationis necessaryalong with proper
inadvertently
of huntingandhabitaton a biologicalbasis.
management
Int. Conf.BearRes. and Manage.9(1):145-148
In Japan the governmenthas no approachto legally
conserve wildlife; there is no governmentsystem in the
Environment Agency to manage bears. Increasing
wildlife damages to human productsrequirethat a new
policy be developed.
Since the 1970s, biologists have demonstratedthe
critical situationof the Japaneseblack bear. Excessive
numbers of nuisance kills as pest animals and careless
timber cutting heightens the sense of crisis. The high
commercial value of bear parts threatenJapan's bear
(Milliken 1985). At the same time, the reports by
IUCN/SSC (Servheen 1990) and TRAFFICUSA (Mills
and Servheen 1991) indicate that Japan is responsible
for a significant part of the worldwide bear trade.
The Environment Agency has researched bear
population biology since 1980. Informationfrom the
prefectures has been developed on bear damages,
harvest, and the size of populations. I worked on some
of these projects and on the threatenedbear project of
WWF Japan, 1988-90 (In Press). In this report, I
review the status of Japanese black bear on biology,
harvest, habitatand bear use; define the problems;and
propose a conservationplan for this endangeredspecies.
BIOLOGY
Japan is a narrow, long country that consists of 4
major islands with an area of about 370,000 km2. The
steep mountainous areas occupy 68% of the land.
Human populations are concentratedin the remaining
32%. Japanese black bears live on 3 major islands,
Honshu, Shikoku and Kyushu. The latter2 islandsmay
have endangeredor extinct populations. Another bear
species, brown bear (Ursus arctos yezoensis), dominates
the northernmostHokkaido island, and the species do
not overlap. The geographical placement of Japan,
steep topography, seasonal winds from the continent,
and varied warm and cold ocean currents, make for
diverse climates and vegetation in Japan. Bear habitat
can be generally separated into the northeasternhigh
snow area and the southwesternlow snow area.
Black bears use vegetation from the hills near
villages to the alpine zone more than 3,000 m in
altitude. Their food habits are omnivorous but mainly
herbivorous. They eat grasses, sedges, herbs, and buds
in spring; berries and nuts in summer and fall. The
acorns of Fagus, Quercus, and Castanea are key food
in the important pre-denning season (Takada 1983,
Nizaki et al. 1983, Hazumi and Maruyama 1987).
Theirweight is 60-120 kg in adult males and 40-100 kg
in adult females. Body length is 120-140 cm. The
characteristicfeeding behavior of this small bear is to
climb a tree and to eat fruits and buds. The ledges of
broken oak branches like nests, called "Enza" are
conspicuous feeding signs in fall. The same behavior
is reportedin Asiatic black bears in China (Schaller et
al. 1989). They also use certain insects and carcasses
of wild animals and livestock opportunistically. The
bone parts and claws of a bear cub were found in the
stomach contents of an adult male bear (Yamagata
prefecture 1982, Hazumi unpubl. data). Cannibalism
may occur in this species as with the American black
bear (LeCount 1987).
In the last 15 years, some radio-trackingresearchhas
examined this species. Hazumi and Maruyama (1986
and 1987) worked in Nikko. Maita (1990) tracked 19
bears at Mt. Taiheizan in northeastern high snow
habitat. Their range size is 50 km2 (n = 7) in males
and 30 km2 (n = 12) in females. Hazumi (unpubl.
data) has been tracking 11 bears of Tanzawa, an
isolated population in southwesternlow snow habitat.
Their range size measured2 to 3 times as large as that
of the northeasternpopulation. The difference may be
caused by decreasing capacity of habitat. Expanding
coniferous plantations separate the natural forest into
small patches.
Denning period is 5 or 6 months between November
and April. Black bears use a hole in tree, under rocks,
146
Int. Conf.BearRes. andManage.9(1) 1994
or the groundas den sites. Theydo notdig theground beardamages.
activelylike brownbears.
Japaneseblack bears damage artificialconiferous
dense
sasa
bamboo
and
prevent plantations
by strippingthebarkfromtrees(Azumaand
Steep topography
Torii 1980, Furubayashi
et al. 1980, Watanabe1980).
bearsin theirhabitat.The6 prefecturesof
researching
the northeastern
districtcountedthenumberof bearsin This is a seriousproblemin southwestern
bearhabitat
wheretheartificialforestoccupiesa largepercentageof
post-denningseason. In springmuchof the snow is
firmenoughto walkon makingsearchesforbearseasy. thehabitat(40-60%). Since1970manybox-trapshave
in these beenset in the bearhabitat,andtrappingandkillingof
Thedensityis estimatedat0.11-0.18 bears/km2
areas. Directcountsare impossiblein the low snow trappedbears has continuedthroughthe active bear
areas of the southwesternareas. Capture-recapture season. Onthe islandsof KyushuandShikoku,where
studiesin forestharvestand conversionhas been extensive,the
methodswere examinedwith radio-marking
Tanzawa. However,the dataindicatethatthe density bearpopulationhas been reducedto endangeredsize.
of the southwesternpopulationis lower than other In somedistrictsof Honshu,excessivecontrolof bears
areas. From all these data, 10,000 black bears are as timberpestshas diminishedtheirdistribution
(Torii
estimatedto live in Japan(Black Bear Management 1978, ShibataandKofune1984).
Black bears damageagriculture,beekeeping,fishcommitteeof Environment
Agencyof Japan).
farms,livestock,andsometimeshumanbeings. These
damages usually occur from late summer to fall.
HARVEST
Physicalprotectionlike electricfence is rarelyused.
The annualharvestof black bears is more than Bearsare killedby shooting,snaring,and trappingas
2,000, and half of this kill is nuisancekills as pest pests. There is no regard for the impact on the
to this populationfrom such harvest. Recently,many bears
animals(Table1). Poachingkills areadditional
have appearedin human areas. Excessive timber
number.
of mastcropsdiminishedthe
from
15
November
to
set
is
season
cuttingandthe fluctuation
usually
Hunting
of
bear
habitat.
The
carelessharvestof bears
with
bears
hunt
Hunters
15 February.
capacity
pre-denning
eachpopulation.
threatens
for
control
in
den
sites
that
are
seriously
pest
dogs, and they searchfor bears
used by generationsof bears. In northeastern
high
snow areas, bear huntingis traditionallyduringthe
seasonbecausethehunterscanwalkeasily HABITAT
post-denning
Artificialtree plantationsoccupy40% of the forest
on hardsnow, see bears,and get biggergall bladders
of
andhumidclimate. Considerations
thantheotherseasons. Thespringhuntis conductedas forthetemperate
a prophylacticcontrolfor decreasingthe summer-fall bear habitatin Japan must employ the history of
forestry.
Figure 1 indicatesthe changes of timbercutting.
Annual harvest of Japanese black bears
Table 1.
(Environment Agency).
Forestrydisturbancesof bear habitatstartedin the
1940s. DuringWorldWar II, 1939-1945,the forest
Total
Pestcontrol
Year
was overcutto supplywar-timeneeds. Thoughthe
Hunting
ForestAgencyplantedin post-warperiods,Japanhas
831
1980
1,866
1,035
since neededa large volume of timberresourcesfor
1981
2,710
1,410
1,300
buildingmaterialsand pulpwood. The government
1982
2,122
1,106
1,016
decidedto cut the interiorforestand startedto import
863
1983
2,008
1,145
inexpensivetimberfromforeigncountries.Therateof
self-supplyhas decreasedfrom 86% in 1960, 45% in
860
869
1984
1,729
1970, to 30% in 1980. The inadequatemanagement
923
1985
2,278
1,355
waste. The ForestryAgencyhas
resultedin plantation
953
1986
2,578
1,625
a deficitof morethan 15 billiondollarsdue to failure
resortdevelopments
of management.Simultaneously,
822
1,962
1987
1,140
and road developingare
for
housing,
golfing,
skiing,
972
1988
2,263
1,291
convertingforeststo nonforestedareas.
761
1989
2,027
1,266
Because forestry has historicallydiminishedthe
962.8
2,154.3
1,191.5
Average
capacityof bearhabitatandfragmentedit, manybears
appearin humanareasand are killed as pests. The
STATUSOF JAPANESEBLACKBEAR * Hazumi
million
m3
....
2.483
f'
2,324
2,147/\
20
\
rs
2,043
1,828
IX
15
15
10
1,549
D1
1,9
\
1,534
/,3
1,479
1,365
1,175
rj
WorldWarII
1935 40
4555 50
65
0
70
75
80
85
147
In this age of high economicgrowth, professional
huntinghas decreasedand changed to recreational
to limitexcessivehunting
hunting. Theold admonition
has disappeared. Bear gallbladderhas the highest
commercialvalue of all Japanesewildlife products.
Theoverseasdemandfor beargall is the reasonfor the
high harvest(2,000-3,000 bearseach year in Japan).
Easy capture,by trappingandsnaringfor pestcontrol,
bearpopulations.The governmentdoes
is threatening
not collectsamplesfromhuntedanimalsfor population
estimates.The commercialvalueof partsof the killed
bear is compensationfor damages. The traditional
is disappearing
customof usinggallbladder
amonglocal
market
Pharmaceutical
artificially
companies
people.
in
acid
(UDCA)
manytypes
producedursodeoxycholic
of medicine.
Fig 1. Changes in Japanese timber harvest.
CONSERVATION
currentsituationfor Japaneseblack bears is causing
"populationsinks" as in other bear species (Schoen
Lack of Ideology
In thepast,naturalareasweregenerallyundeveloped
due to the steep topographyof Japan. The ancient
Japanesefelt that naturewas abundantand always
familiar, and respectedit. After World War II,
however,economicdevelopmentwas most important
andhas resultedin sacrificeof natureandnativeideas.
has not establishedsystemsof wildlife
Thegovernment
For
example,thereis no ownershipof
management.
not responsiblefor wildlife. The
The
state
is
wildlife.
personwho capturesan animalas pestor in thehunting
season,hasthe rightto sell all partsof the animal. The
Forest Agency, which has a right to manage the
nationalforest, is primarilyconcernedwith economic
value and developmentof forest resources. The
BEAR USE
is notconsideredin land
Milliken(1985) andMillsandServheen(1991)have conceptof habitatmanagement
their
laws.
in
But
for
on
bear
use
efforts,
Japan.
reported
The recent internationalmovement on global
Japanesepeople, even biologists, would not have
noticed this importantproblemof bear trade. This environmental
conservation,such as the IUCN, affects
the
this
historical
adds
to
background.
Japanesegovernment.The governmentnow shows
report
In the age of the traditionaltribe "MATAGI,"a
signs of reconsidering laws and systems of
andwildlifemanagement.The ideology
hunterconfronteda bear with just a spear. Hunting environmental
was
The
of
conservation
mustbe guaranteed
was
lower
and
the
habitat
abundant.
underthe law.
pressure
ancient native religion admonishedanyone against
excess hunting. Since the beginningof the twentieth A Management Plan for Japanese Black Bear
Becauseof thelackof an adequatesystemof wildlife
century, huntershave used guns. World War II
broughtheavy huntingpressure. Many species of
managementand wildlife habitat management,the
wildlife,includingbear,serow,deer,monkey,andwild Japaneseblackbearpopulationwill be endangered.I
boar were harvestedfor food, winter clothing, and proposethe followingmanagement
plan:
medicinefor militaryandcivilianpeople. Peopleused
1. Definelocalpopulationareasto preventfurther
everything:fur, meat, fat, viscera, and blood of the
game.
fragmentation
(Fig. 1).
1990).
Today Japanoccupies30% of the world tradeof
tropical forests including those in Philippines,
Indonesia, and Malaysia. This results in habitat
destruction for tropical bear species. Japan is
harvestinglarge volumesof timberin easternSiberia
(Mills and Servheen1991), and a high rate(30%)of
JapanesetimberimportsarefromNorthAmerica.This
rapid economic growth and demandfor resources
causes a fundamentalproblem for worldwidebear
conservation.
148
Int. Conf.BearRes. and Manage.9(1) 1994
2. Estimate population size and limit harvest
numbersto sustainablelevels.
3. Prohibitsnaringand shooting of denningbears.
4. Prohibit shooting females with cubs.
5. Prohibitthe prophylacticnuisance kill.
6. Protectthe productswith a physical system and
a catch and release method.
7. Identify and preserve core habitat areas to
supportenough foods.
8. Develop a system to link adjacenthabitatunits.
9. Develop educationto supportbear conservation
efforts.
10. Develop managementauthoritiesand systems
for each population.
11. Improve game and land management to
accomplish these objectives.
BEARTRADE
It is difficult to monitor the undergroundtrade of
bear gallbladder. In Japan, the establishment of
wildlife-managementsystems and strict huntingcontrol
is critically important. Japanese pharmaceutical
companies are able to marketbear gall ingredientsthat
have great value. Therefore, the market must be
closely limited. Japanshould enforce CITESregulations
on bear trade. It may be better to have the wildlife
market controlled through the government so that
purchaseof galls from bear hunterswould be at a stable
price. On the other hand, the managedbear farm may
be useful for decreasinghuntingpressureto wild bears.
The optimum solution is to use synthetic
ursodeoxycholicacid synthesizedfrom cow gallbladder.
LITERATURE
CITED
AZUMA,S., ANDH. TORII. 1980. Impactof humanactivities
on survivalof the Japaneseblackbear. Int. Conf. Bear
Res. andManage.4:71-79.
FURUBAYASHI,K., K. HIRAI, K. IKEDA,AND T. MIZUGUCHI.
betweenoccurrenceof beardamage
1980. Relationships
and clear cuttingin centralHonshu,Japan. Int. Conf.
Bear Res. and Manage. 4:81-84.
HAZUMI,T., ANDN. MARUYAMA.1986. Movements and
home ranges of Japaneseblack bears in Nikko. Int. Conf.
Bear Res. and Manage. 6:99-101.
. 1987. Movements and habitat use of
,AND
black
bears in Nikko. Int. Conf. Bear Res. and
Japanese
7:275-279.
Manage.
A.L. 1987. Causes of black bear cub mortality.
LECOUNT,
Int. Conf. Bear Res. and Manage. 7:75-82.
MAITA,K. 1990. Ecology of Japanese black bear in Akita.
JapanEnviron.AgencyRes. Publ. Pages 126-206.
MILLIKEN.
T. 1985. Concern over Japanese bear trade.
IUCN Traffic Bulletin 7(1):5-8.
MILLS, J. A., ANDC. SERVHEEN.1991. The Asian trade in
bears and bear parts. TRAFFIC USA Publ. 113pp.
NIZAKI,E., S. AZUMA,T. AOI, H, TORII,T, ITO, ANDK,
MAEDA. 1983. Food habits of Japaneseblack bear. Int.
Conf. BearRes. andManage.5:106-109.
SCHALLER,B. S., T. QITAO, K. J. JOHNSON,W. XIAOMING,
ANDH. JINCHU.1989. The feeding ecology
S. HEMING,
of giant pandas and Asiatic black bears in the Tangjiahe
Reserve,China. Pages212-241 in J. L. Gittleman,ed.
Carnivore behavior, ecology, and evolution. Cornell
Univ. Press, Ithaca, N.Y.
J.W. 1990. Bear habitat management: a review
SCHOEN,
and futureperspective. Int. Conf. Bear Res. andManage.
8:143-154.
SERVHEEN,C. 1990. The status and conservation of the
bears of the world. Int. Conf. Bear Res. and Manage.
Monog. Ser. 32pp.
E., ANDT. KOFUNE.1984. Japaneseblack bear in
SHIBATA,
Kii peninsula. Forest Pests 33(10):6-11. (In Japanese).
TAKADA,Y. 1983. The food habits of the Japanese black
bear in the Central mountains area, Nagano prefecture.
J. Mammal. Soc. Jap. 8:40-53. (In Japanese with English
abstract).
TORII,H. 1978. Damage and control of Japaneseblack bear
in Shizuoka. Forest Pests. 27(12):2-6. (In Japanese).
H. 1980. Damage to conifers by the Japanese
WATANABAE,
black bear. Int. Conf. Bear Res. and Manage. 4:67-70.
PREFECTURE.1982. Bear research annual
YAMAGATA
report. 38pp. (In Japanese).