In a rare event, a small black bear was spotted sprinting on a runway of Yamagata Airport in Japan on Thursday, June 26. The sudden bear spotted caused travel disruption and a dozen flights got cancelled. Airport staff had to halt the operations for the safety of the passengers.
Flights Affected:
One of the employee of Yamagata Airport in Higashine, Yamagata prefecture first spotted the bear sprinting on the runway in the morning, resulting into temporary clousure of the runway which affected more than 10 flights on the runway.
The video has gone viral on the Internet, shows the little 4-feet long bear running on the runway of the airport followed by the flashing airport car, trying to move it away from the runway.
Watch The Video Here:
The bear returned on the runway around noon which resulted in cancellation of 12 flights. Yamagata Airport official Akira Nagai said, "We are in a stalemate now." The official added that authorities have been patrolling the perimeter of the airport, and hunters have come to prepare a trap for the bear.
Other Bear Sightings In Japan
Japan has seen record numbers of human-bear interactions, with 219 attacks and six fatalities in the 12 months leading up to April 2024. Recently according to reports, a golf tournament in central Japan was abruptly ended last month due to a bear sighting, with organisers citing safety concerns. In another sighting, a school in Goshogawara, Aomori prefecture, had to move a sporting event indoors due to bear sightings a week before the Yamagata Airport black bear incident.
