---
title: "Japanese Town Installs Red-Eyed Robot Wolf to Scare Off Bears"
description: "A city in Japan just installed several terrifying robot wolves that can move and give off blood-curdling howls in an attempt to prevent bear attacks."
date: "2020-11-11"
modified: "2020-11-11"
authors:
  - name: "Victor Tangermann"
    job_title: "Senior Editor"
    link: "https://futurism.com/authors/victor"
url: "https://futurism.com/japanese-town-robot-wolf-bears"
categories:
  - "Robotics"
  - "Robots and Machines"
tags:
  - "Japan"
  - "robot"
  - "robowolf"
---

# Japanese Town Installs Red-Eyed Robot Wolf to Scare Off Bears

![A city in Japan just installed several terrifying robot wolves that can move and give off blood-curdling howls in an attempt to prevent bear attacks.](<https://futurism.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/japanese-town-robot-wolf-bears.jpg>)
*\<em\>Image: NHK News\</em\>*

## Monster Wolf

A town in Japan has installed several terrifying robot wolves that can move and give off blood-curdling howls in an attempt to prevent bear attacks, [*The Guardian* reports](<https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/nov/11/japanese-town-deploys-monster-wolf-robots-to-deter-bears>).

The town of Takikawa got two of the "Monster Wolf" robots after bears were spotted in the surrounding neighborhoods in September, according to the newspaper.

There's been an increase in bear sightings in rural areas in the country, [according to Japanese broadcaster *NHK News*](<https://www3.nhk.or.jp/news/html/20201019/k10012670611000.html>). Dozens of attacks, two of which were fatal, prompted officials to install the two faux wolves.

https://twitter.com/nhk_news/status/1318076693597343746

## Howling Scarecrow

The robots feature four "legs," a fur-coated body, and glowing red eyes. Their motion detectors can alert them of any bears nearby, triggering one of 60 different sounds. The robot maker behind the wolves has sold 70 units of them already in just about two years, *The Guardian* reports.

In 2018, farms near Kisarazu City in Japan [also installed](<https://futurism.com/terrifying-robot-wolf-japan-farmers>) "Super Monster Wolf" robots in an attempt to stop animals from eating crops.

"I hope it will help create an environment where people and bears can coexist," Yuji Ota, president of the robot maker, told *NHK* last month.

**READ MORE:** [Japanese town deploys Monster Wolf robots to deter bears](<https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/nov/11/japanese-town-deploys-monster-wolf-robots-to-deter-bears>) \[*The Guardian*\]

**More on robots:** *[Unsettling Robot Grips Like an Elephant’s Trunk](<https://futurism.com/the-byte/unsettling-robot-grips-elephants-trunk>)*

## Author
I've been at Futurism since 2017, where my role has evolved to encompass design, writing, and increasingly editing. I've always been fascinated by space exploration and advanced transportation, which I've leaned into by interviewing luminaries in those fields while closely following the dimensions of policy and regulation that allow next-generation projects to succeed -- or, sometimes, to fail. I'm also keenly interested in the effects of generative AI on society, policies, and democratic institutions, as well as clean energy, physics and biology, and the vagaries of tech leadership. My work for Futurism has been cited by publications including Ars Technica, Gizmodo, PC Magazine, Jalopnik, Fox News, and the New York Post. I spent my childhood living in locations including Manila, the Philippines, and Geneva, Switzerland, attended McGill University, and now live in Toronto, Canada. Before Futurism I worked at AskMen and a small photography studio. In my free time, I'm an avid gardener, foodie, and craft beer lover, as well as a maker of artisanal hot pepper sauces. I have a magnificent dog named Freida.

### Author social links  
[Bluesky](<https://bsky.app/profile/vtanger.bsky.social>)