An wild bear that had appeared near the Runway of Yamagata Airport of Japan on the 26th June and then disappeared, was spotted again moving away just after 4:00 a.m. on the 27th.
The bear's whereabouts are still unknown and it has not yet been captured. The airport has decided to operate scheduled flights normally from the first flight on the 28th.
No bears were seen in the traps set up at Yamagata Airport, and there was no sign of the food inside having been disturbed.
At around 7am on June 26th, a bear measuring approximately 1.2 metres in length was spotted in succession near the runway at Yamagata Airport in Hanyu, Higashine City. Following this, traps were set in three locations, but as of 6pm on June 27th, none had been captured.
A bear was also spotted running around the premises of Yamagata Airport at dawn on June 27th, but patrols on the airport grounds have been strengthened and flights are operating normally.
On the prevailing situation, two passengers said,
"We came from Kyoto. We didn't know that a bear had been spotted. Hearing about it now makes me anxious." "I thought there would be no flights today, so I'm glad they did. I'll be returning on the same day for work."
Another passenger in the Airport said,
"I heard that all flights had been stopped as of yesterday, so I was worried about whether I would be able to go today. I heard that (the bear) hadn't been caught, but I'm relieved that flights are still flying properly."
"It's scary to think that it could be lurking, so I think we can't let our guard down just yet. "
According to the Yamagata Airport Office, this is the first time a bear has been spotted at Yamagata Airport since the airport opened in 1964.
"We didn't expect a bear to appear on the airport runway. We are patiently asking for everyone's cooperation and creating a system to resolve this as soon as possible."
Yamagata Airport will strengthen patrols from tomorrow onwards, and plans to operate as usual.
