The number of train collisions with wild animals in eastern Japan rose to a record high last year, prompting East Japan Railway Co. (JR East) to develop countermeasures, including the use of scents and sounds to deter animals.
According to JR East, 1,825 collisions with animals occurred in fiscal 2020, 80% higher than in fiscal 2017. Collisions with deer accounted for the majority of the cases. By species, deer were involved in 647 of 754 cases recorded by JR East's Morioka Branch Office in fiscal 2020, accounting for more than 80% of cases. Other victims include bears, rabbits and raccoon dogs.
When trains collide with animals, operations are usually suspended for several hours for the removal of the animal's carcass and the confirmation of the safety of the line. In a bid to limit such stoppages, JR East analyzes the habits of deer and tries out new countermeasures every year.
One such measure involved spraying a chemical solution that contains compounds found in lion dung, which is thought to repel deer. JR East developed the solution in collaboration with Iwate University, and in fiscal 2020, sprayed it on the Kamaishi and Yamada lines, covering a total of about 15 kilometers.
In Iwate Prefecture, the company also uses a laser device that fires off intermittent beams of green and red light in the early morning and at night, when deer are most likely to appear.
Meanwhile, in Yamanashi Prefecture, JR East uses a device that emits a high-frequency sound that deters deer from approaching the railroad tracks.
Since fiscal 2021, Kamaishi Station has trailed a tactic based on animals' fear of wasps. About 500 meters of pipes are installed around the station through which the recorded sound of wasps' wings reverberates and a synthetic fragrance that mimics wasp odor is piped.
However, such measures tend to lose effectiveness over time. "We need to consider cost as well as effectiveness, and we are yet to find a perfect solution," a JR East official said.
-- Expanding habitat
According to the Environment Ministry, the population of deer nationwide, excluding Hokkaido, decreased due to increased trapping from 2.46 million in fiscal 2014 to 1.89 million in fiscal 2019.
So why has the number of collisions with deer surged in recent years?
One of the reasons experts cite is habitat expansion. In the late 1970s, deer were mainly found in a limited area in eastern Japan, mainly in Nagano and Yamanashi prefectures. Since then, their habitat area has increased by about 2.7 times, and they can now be seen across Iwate Prefecture and southern Chiba Prefecture.
Depopulation in rural areas is the main cause, according to Shinichi Kobayashi, a professor at the Shizuoka Professional University of Agriculture.
Kobayashi claims that the plants deer usually eat have been devastated by the lack of forest management due to depopulation, and deer have started feeding in abandoned fields closer to villages as a result, causing habitat expansion.
However, it is difficult to attribute the rapid increase in collisions over the past few years to habitat expansion alone.
"There are still many things we don't know about animal ecology. We want to find a reason [for the increase in the number of collisions]," a JR East official said. "Collisions are unfortunate for both humans and animals. We must gather knowledge and promote measures to ensure safe operations."
-- Serows, bears
According to a tally by the Morioka Branch Office, the second largest number of collisions in fiscal 2020 involved Japanese serows, a goat-antelope species designated as a national natural treasure.
In JR East's service area, most of the collisions occurred in the Tohoku region.
Animals designated as natural treasures are considered to be "cultural properties" under the Law for the Protection of Cultural Properties, and collisions must be reported to local authorities.
Bears are another species that require careful attention. Even though the number of collisions is not large, it often takes a long time to resume operations after collisions because the workers tasked with removing the carcass run the risk of being attacked by other bears in the process.
Members of local hunting clubs are usually asked to help patrol the surrounding area to ensure the safety of the removal team.
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