The "devil wolf", a scarecrow robot featuring blinking red eyes, howling, and growling capabilities, is manufactured by Ohta Seiki, a company based in Hokkaido. This year, the company has already received 50 orders, which exceeds its typical annual volume.

"We produce these manually, so we cannot currently keep up with demand. We apologize and ask for our customers' understanding; please give us two to three months," said Yuji Ohta, the company's president.

Ohta noted, "Awareness of bear safety and measures against wildlife damage to agricultural products has increased. People also increasingly recognize that our product is effective in dealing with bears."

The "devil wolf" consists of artificial fur draped over an assembled tubular frame, equipped with a speaker, and topped with a head featuring a menacing open snout. Starting at 4,000 USD, the system includes a battery, solar panel, sensors, speakers, and other components.

It can emit over 50 types of pre-recorded sounds, including human voices and electronic noise, audible from up to one km away. The device can turn its head side to side, flash its red LED eyes, and has blue LED lights on its tail.

Orders primarily come from farmers, golf course operators, and outdoor workers in rural areas.

Ohta introduced this product in 2016 to prevent damage to agricultural products caused by deer, wild boar, and bears. Initially, many doubted its effectiveness.

The company is upgrading the device by adding wheels to chase animals or patrol specific routes. It also plans to develop a handheld version for hikers, anglers, and students, and is researching integrating artificial intelligence (AI) cameras for future models.

"We want to use our production capabilities to help solve the bear problem," Ohta said.

Ohta's "devil wolf" robot in a rice field in Kisarazu, Chiba prefecture, 25/8/2017. Photo: AFP

Bears killed 13 people in Japan during 2025-2026, which is double the previous record high. Authorities also recorded over 50,000 reported bear sightings nationwide, doubling the number from two years prior.

Bears are entering homes, roaming near schools, and intruding into supermarkets and hot spring resorts daily. The number of bears captured and culled has nearly tripled from one year ago, reaching 14,601, also a record high. Some northern regions in April reported bear sightings four times higher than last year as the animals awoke from hibernation.

By Hong Hanh (According to AFP)