Japan's government has created emergency [measurements / measures] to address record numbers of bear attacks. The Ministry of Environment [reported / retorted] that 13 people have been killed, and more than 100 have been [injured / injurious] by bears since April. The death [atoll / toll] is the highest since [record / records] began in 2006. Wildlife management experts have [devised / defiled] a plan to reduce the increasing numbers of fatalities, injuries, and encounters [with / at] bears. Part of this plan is to reduce bear populations in areas where the animals have been [sighted / sighting] . Another feature is the establishment [at / of] region-specific capture targets. Authorities will also set up a buffer zone in many areas to try to separate bear habitats [of / from] human residential areas.
There are two species of bear in Japan and their numbers have [splurged / surged]
in the past decade. [Estimates / Estimation] suggest the Asian black bear population has [roughed / roughly] tripled since 2012 — rising from about 15,000 to around 44,000. The larger and more dangerous Ussuri brown bears, native [at / to] the northern island of Hokkaido, have doubled [in / to] number. There are several reasons for the growth [in / on] bear populations. One is the [shortage / shortening] of beech nuts, which scientists attribute [to / of] climate change. Another reason is a declining number of licensed hunters, who were largely responsible [for / at] bear culls. Finally, a depopulation of rural areas means bears are [venting / venturing] into towns and villages.
