red eyes that howls and growls menacingly to scare away wild animals. Ohta Seiki, the Hokkaido-based firm that makes the devices, has already received around 50 orders this year, more than the usual volume for an entire year. "We make them by hand. We cannot make them fast enough now. We are asking our customers to wait two to three months", company president Yuji Ohta told AFP. "Awareness of bear safety and measures against wildlife damage (on farm products) improved. There was also a growing recognition that our product is effective in dealing with bears", Ohta said. Orders come mostly from farmers, operators of golf courses and people working outside in rural areas such as in construction. Bears killed 13 people across Japan in 2025-2026, more than twice the previous high. More than 50,000 bear sightings were recorded nationwide, more than double the previous record set two years before, according to official data. (Bssnews)