“冷蔵庫開ける”クマまで出没　どれだけ賢い？“クマの知能”を独自検証【サタデーステーション】(2026年7月18日)

Amidst a series of bear sightings across Japan, a bear has even been seen breaking into homes and "opening refrigerators to rummage for food." Just how intelligent are bears? We investigated their intelligence. (Aired July 18th on "Saturday Station") ■Caution During Summer Vacation: Frequent Bear Sightings Report by Director Ayari Hatanaka (Akita, Semboku City, around 11:00 AM) "Children are playing inside this facility." For children, summer vacation is a long-awaited event. In Semboku City, Akita Prefecture, a corner of the city hall was opened as a playground for children. Parent (Akita, Semboku City) "It's too cramped at home, so we thought we'd come out to play. We'll try to avoid places where there are bears." In Akita Prefecture, due to a series of bear sightings and incidents since spring, measures such as free access to facilities are being taken for children who cannot play outside. Even in July, bear sightings continue. On the night of the 17th, a male hunter in his 40s was attacked by a bear in Sarabetsu Village, Hokkaido. He was bitten on both arms while attempting to kill the bear, sustaining serious injuries. Report by Director Masataka Tanaka (Sendai City, Miyagino Ward, around 10:00 AM): "A fairly large-scale grass cutting operation is underway." In Miyagino Ward, Sendai City, bear sightings have been frequent since the beginning of July. The sightings are concentrated around the river flowing through the city. Resident in the vicinity (Sendai City, Miyagino Ward, around 11:00 AM): "Just as I was about to go outside, a police car was parked there. They said, 'There's a bear out, please don't go outside.' I really couldn't believe it. I didn't think it would appear right in front of my house." ■Not just home invasions… Bears showing "cleverness" by opening refrigerators also stand out A bear appeared in a house in Shizukuishi Town, Iwate Prefecture on July 9th. Even with the security warning lights flashing and the photographer shouting, the bear showed no sign of fleeing. On the 10th, a bear entered another house through the back door and ate sweets such as karinto (a type of Japanese snack) and cookies. Bear intrusion into home: Mitsuo Yamamoto (Shizukuishi-cho, Iwate, 11th) "It was big. It was about the same height as me." Amidst a series of incidents, the damage wasn't limited to building intrusions; a refrigerator in the kitchen was opened. Relative of a victim (Shizukuishi-cho, Iwate, 14th) "It was looking for sugar, a powdered food. It also seemed to have touched some flour. It only managed to tear the bag open." In the vicinity, one bear has since been captured, and authorities are investigating whether it is the same bear that intruded into the house. ■How smart are they? An independent examination of "bear intelligence" The intelligence of bears has been captured in numerous videos. Just how intelligent are bears that can even open refrigerators? In this program, we obtained permission to film at Tarugabashi Amusement Park, a zoo in Tainai City, Niigata Prefecture, to test the learning abilities of bears. Our cooperating participant was Ku-chan, a Japanese black bear. Under the supervision of experts, a refrigerator was placed at the edge of the bear's enclosure. We followed the steps to see if the bear could retrieve an apple from the refrigerator on its own. ■【Will the bear eat the apple from the refrigerator on its own?】Experiment (1) - Door Open At 7:00 AM, the experiment began. First, to allow the bear to recognize the presence of the apple, the door was left open. Report by Director Ai Fujisawa: "The bear slowly emerged. It headed straight for the refrigerator." Although it approached the refrigerator, it didn't immediately notice the food. Report by Director Ai Fujisawa: "It's sniffing the floor." Experiment Supervisor: Maki Yamamoto, a consultant specializing in wildlife damage control: "I think it's probably reacting to the smell of new wood." Next, the bear sniffed the refrigerator. While showing interest, the bear also appeared wary of the unfamiliar object. Afterward, it climbed onto a tire and sat down in front of the refrigerator. Then, 18 minutes after the experiment began… It finally discovered the apple and began to eat it. Report by Director Ai Fujisawa: "The apple came out from inside. Ah, it's eating it." ■【Will the bear eat the apple from the refrigerator on its own?】Experiment (2) Door half-open Next, to show that there was an apple inside when the door was opened, we tried leaving the door half-open. Again, the bear went almost straight to the refrigerator. Experiment supervised by Maki Yamamoto, a consultant specializing in wildlife damage control: "It learned two things from the first attempt: that it wasn't dangerous and that there was something delicious inside. Its wary behavior was reduced in the second attempt." It stayed in front of the refrigerator for about 30 seconds without leaving it. Then, as it lay down… R...