80 Year Old Scares Bear Out of Her Home With Lint Roller

 

Every day there are stories in the news about bears in Japan. This one has a happy ending.  

An 80 year old widow, who lives alone (with her little dog) in a wooded rural area of Iwate Prefecture, heard Miyabi, her shiba inu dog, barking early one evening. She often sees bears near her home around dusk, but usually when Miyabi barks, the bears run away. Not this time! 

She saw the 1.5 meter bear enter her yard and move toward Miyabi. She quickly called the police and her neighbors for help, then moved to help her pet. Using her rolling mop as a cane to steady her wobbly legs, she was able to get the dog inside the house, shutting the screen door behind it. The bear broke through the screen door and was about two meters away from Mrs. Takahashi. She stayed calm, opened her arms wide, holding the lint roller to make herself appear bigger in order to scare the bear. She yelled Hey, don’t mess with me (in Japanese) and the bear went back out and ran away. 

The police and neighbors arrived shortly after the bear ran away. No person or dog was hurt, but Miyabi will be staying inside from now on. I hope I can think quickly and be brave if I ever find myself in this kind of situation.