A “Monster Wolf” with gleaming eyes scares wild animals out of the fields. (in Sapporo city, Hokkaido)
A new uniquely-shaped animal scarer with gleaming eyes and terrifying roars is now being tested in a fruit farmer in Sapporo city, Hokkaido. The scarer looks so much like a wolf and is named “Monster Wolf.”
The “wolf” was developed by Ota Seiki Co., Ltd., a machine parts manufacturer in Naie town, Hokkaido, in order to keep animals like deer and bears away from the farms especially at night.
The wolf-like scarer measures 60 centimeters in length. The gleaming eyes are made of light-emitting diodes (LEDs) and the sounds are provided by a speaker embedded in its head. It turns on and produces approximately 40 different roaring sounds to scare animals when it detects them approaching by its embedded infrared sensor. It also has a timer inside that activates the device at a set time.
The test run began in December last year, producing a favorable result of reducing the damages to apple buds and trees by deer to one tenth compared to before. The commercial version will become available in June this year. President of the company, Yuji Ota, said, “It worked even when the temperature dropped to 20 degrees below freezing. I want to protect farmers from wild animal damages.”