WTF?! What do you do when pepper spray-equipped drones aren't enough to deal with bear attacks? Use robotic Monster Wolves, of course. That unlikely-sounding scenario really is happening in Japan, which can't make enough of the animatronic beasts to keep up with demand.
Bear attacks are a serious problem in Japan. The animals killed 13 people across the country in 2025-2026, more than twice the previous high, and there have been numerous other attacks and incidents that didn't lead to fatalities. Sightings, meanwhile, rose to 50,000, which was also double the previous record.
The number of bears captured and culled nearly tripled from the previous year to 14,601, also setting a new all-time high.
One method being used to lower these figures comes from Hokkaido-based company Ohta Seiki. It makes what is essentially an animatronic wolf scarecrow that emits a loud (90 dB) wolf cry to scare off the bears. It looks like something from a horror movie, too.
Not content with making a howl that can be heard over 1 kilometer away, the aptly named Monster Wolf also has red LEDs in its eyes and blue ones in its tail and legs. It plays more than 50 kinds of recorded sounds, including human voices and electronic noises, so the bears don't get used to the same one.
The wolf has plenty of other features to try and justify its $4,000 price tag. There's fake fur, a neck that swings left and right, an infrared sensor to detect and target animals, a built-in timer, and a 12V car battery for power. There are also optional wheels and a solar charging panel.
AFP reports that Ohta Seiki plans a handheld version of Monster Wolf for hikers, anglers, and schoolchildren. It's also looking at AI-powered cameras for future models.
Ohta Seiki has been making these wolves since 2016 – we first reported on them in 2020 – but the company is now so inundated with orders that customers are being asked to wait two to three months for deliveries.
The firm said most of its orders come from operators of golf courses and people working outside in rural areas, such as construction workers.
This isn't Japan's only unconventional method of dealing with bear attacks. A company called Terra Drone signed an agreement with Ishinomaki City in Miyagi Prefecture to use drones equipped with bear-repellent spray earlier this year. The non-lethal substance is made from capsaicin, a pungent ingredient derived from capsicum.