Bear roaming runway halts flights at Japanese airport
A bear roaming the runway forced a Japanese airport to cancel flights on Thursday and declare itself off-limits to passengers for the day.
The black bear appeared at northern Japan's Yamagata Airport early morning, immediately prompting the closure of its runway.
This first sighting resulted in a delay of up to an hour of four flights, before the animal reemerged around noon, this time 'running' on the runway.
Airport staff used a car to chase it away and closed the runway again, with the bear still at large somewhere in the facility.
'Given the situation there is no way we can host plane arrivals now,' Yamagata Airport official Akira Nagai told AFP Thursday evening, adding the second closure led to 12 flight cancellations.
With hunters brought in to set up a trap and police officers surrounding the airport to prevent the bear from escaping, 'we're in a stalemate now', Nagai said.
The facility plans to keep the runway closed till around 8:00 pm, the official said.
Human encounters with bears have reached record levels in Japan, with 219 people attacked and six deaths in the 12 months to April 2024.
Last month, a bear sighting brought a premature end to a golf tournament in central Japan, with organizers citing safety precautions.
Climate change affecting food sources and hibernation times, along with depopulation caused by an ageing society, are causing bears to venture into towns more frequently, scientists say.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Arab News
25 minutes ago
- Arab News
Fans bid teary farewell to four giant pandas at a zoo in Japan before their return to China
SHIRAHAMA, Japan: Thousands of fans bid a teary farewell Friday to a family of four giant pandas at a zoo in Japan's coastal town of Shirahama as the animals made their last public appearance before their return to China. Around 3,000 visitors flocked to the Adventure World theme park to get a last glimpse of the beloved animals. Many rushed straight to the panda exhibit zone, calling out the names of their favorites. Although the 24-year-old mother Rauhin and her three daughters — Yuihin, Saihin and Fuhin — were all born and raised at the park, they remain on loan from China and must now be returned. Once they return to China, Xiao Xiao and Lei Lei at Tokyo's Ueno Zoo will be the only pandas left in Japan. More than 1,000 people, many wearing panda-themed attire, queued outside the entrance of the theme park hours before it opened while some camped outside the night before. Junko Ikeda, who came from the neighboring prefecture of Nara, slept in her camper van Thursday night to secure a parking spot for the pandas' send-off. 'I still can't believe they are all leaving,' Ikeda said. Giant pandas are native to southwestern China and serve as an unofficial national mascot. Beijing lends them to other countries as a sign of goodwill but maintains ownership over them and any cubs they produce. Born in 2000, Rauhin had seven other cubs with Eimei, a male panda sent from China in 1994. Eimei returned home two years ago. Despite strained political ties between Japan and China, giant pandas are hugely popular in Japan. 'We feel comforted just by looking at pandas,' said zoo director Koji Imazu. Imazu said the departure of the four pandas marks the end of the zoo's 30-year joint project with China. He thanked Chinese specialists for sharing their expertise with the Japanese staff and said the zoo will be ready for a new arrival at any time. 'Of course we all miss them, but I hope you could wish them good health when they go to China,' Imazu said. In Beijing, China's Foreign Ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun said giant pandas are 'friendly ambassadors' conveying the goodwill of the Chinese people. Guo said that China and Japan have collaborated on panda conservation and research since 2000, and that China is ready to further strengthen international cooperation, including with Japan. Rauhin and her daughters will be flown to China on Saturday where they will join other pandas at a facility in Sichuan province near their original habitat. There, the three young ones will find partners.
Al Arabiya
42 minutes ago
- Al Arabiya
Fans bid teary farewell to four giant pandas at a zoo in Japan before their return to China
Thousands of fans bid a teary farewell Friday to a family of four giant pandas at a zoo in Japan's coastal town of Shirahama as the animals made their last public appearance before their return to China. Around 3,000 visitors flocked to the Adventure World theme park to get a last glimpse of the beloved animals. Many rushed straight to the panda exhibit zone, calling out the names of their favorites. Although the 24-year-old mother, Rauhin, and her three daughters – Yuihin, Saihin, and Fuhin – were all born and raised at the park, they remain on loan from China and must now be returned. Once they return to China, Xiao Xiao and Lei Lei at Tokyo's Ueno Zoo will be the only pandas left in Japan. More than 1,000 people, many wearing panda-themed attire, queued outside the entrance of the theme park hours before it opened, while some camped outside the night before. Junko Ikeda, who came from the neighboring prefecture of Nara, slept in her camper van Thursday night to secure a parking spot for the pandas' send-off. 'I still can't believe they are all leaving,' Ikeda said. Giant pandas are native to southwestern China and serve as an unofficial national mascot. Beijing lends them to other countries as a sign of goodwill, but maintains ownership over them and any cubs they produce. Born in 2000, Rauhin had seven other cubs with Eimei, a male panda sent from China in 1994. Eimei returned home two years ago. Despite strained political ties between Japan and China, giant pandas are hugely popular in Japan. 'We feel comforted just by looking at pandas,' said zoo director Koji Imazu. Imazu said the departure of the four pandas marks the end of the zoo's 30-year joint project with China. He thanked Chinese specialists for sharing their expertise with the Japanese staff and said the zoo will be ready for a new arrival at any time. 'Of course we all miss them, but I hope you could wish them good health when they go to China,' Imazu said. In Beijing, China's Foreign Ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun said giant pandas are friendly ambassadors conveying the goodwill of the Chinese people. Guo said that China and Japan have collaborated on panda conservation and research since 2000 and that China is ready to further strengthen international cooperation, including with Japan. Rauhin and her daughters will be flown to China on Saturday, where they will join other pandas at a facility in Sichuan province near their original habitat. There, the three young ones will find partners.
Al Arabiya
8 hours ago
- Al Arabiya
China bans uncertified and recalled power banks on planes
China's aviation regulator will from Saturday ban passengers from carrying power banks without Chinese safety certification markings, as well as those recently recalled by manufacturers because of safety concerns. The move, which applies to anyone boarding a flight in China, follows a series of incidents globally involving lithium battery products, including power banks, overheating on planes. South Korea said a spare power bank was a possible cause of a fire that engulfed an Air Busan plane in January, and in March a Hong Kong Airlines flight from China to Hong Kong was forced to land in China due to a fire in an overhead baggage compartment. Lithium batteries in devices such as laptops, mobile phones, electronic cigarettes and power banks can produce smoke, fire or extreme heat when manufacturing faults or damage cause them to short circuit. They are a growing concern for aviation safety as passengers carry more battery-powered items on flights. Last year three incidents every two weeks of overheating lithium batteries on planes were recorded globally by the US Federal Aviation Administration, compared to just under one a week in 2018. China's Civil Aviation Administration said on Thursday power banks must be clearly marked with '3C' certification, short for China Compulsory Certification, which authorities require for products that could impact health, safety, and environmental protection. Several leading power bank manufacturers in China including Anker and Romoss have this month recalled batches of battery products due to safety concerns. China's market regulator has revoked or suspended the 3C certification of several power bank and battery cell manufacturers. Since the Air Busan incident, airlines globally have been tightening power bank rules. Aviation rules generally say power banks should be carried in cabin baggage, but increasingly airlines are banning their use on board and say they must be kept within view to spot any problems. China has since 2014 forbidden passengers from charging devices using power banks during flights. Southwest Airlines at the end of May became the first US airline to say portable charging devices must be visible while in use during flight.
