Vending machine in remote Japan town sells meat from intruding bears

日本偏遠城鎮的自動販賣機販售入侵熊的肉

【摘要2023.8.10.四.自由】◎孫宇青

A remote Japanese town has taken to selling bear meat from a vending machine, sourcing its supply to Asian black bears caught in traps or in the mountains by hunters.

日本一個偏遠城鎮開始在自動販賣機販售熊肉，肉源是掉入陷阱或獵人在山裡捕捉的亞洲黑熊。

Bear attacks are an increasing problem in parts of rural Japan due to a shortage of food in the forests that brings the animals into inhabited areas to forage.

由於山中缺乏食物，熊攻擊人類的問題在日本部分鄉下地區愈發常見，牠們會到人居地尋覓食物。

"The bears can be dangerous when they come into town, so hunters will set up traps or shoot them," said Daishi Sato, who placed the vending machine outside his "soba" noodle shop near the railway station in Semboku, Akita prefecture.

在鄰近秋田縣仙北市火車站的自家蕎麥麵店外擺放自動販賣機的佐藤大志（音譯）說：「熊進入人類居住的小鎮時很危險，所以獵人會設陷阱或射殺牠們。」

Asian black bears are listed as vulnerable, but not critically so, and it is legal to eat bear in Japan. Meat from trapped bears is tastier since the blood is drained immediately, according to Sato.（Reuters）

亞洲黑熊被列為易危物種，但嚴格說來情況沒那麼迫切，而且在日本吃熊肉是合法的。佐藤說，被捕捉的熊會立即放血，所以風味更佳。（路透）

新聞辭典

forage：動詞，覓食。例句：It is commonly seen that the homeless forage for scraps in the city.（在這座城市，街友四處尋找殘羹剩飯是常見的景象。）

drain：動詞，排放、放乾（液體）。例句：Please drain the swimming pool and refill it with fresh water.（請將泳池的水排掉，再重新注入清水。）