TOTTORI (TR) – Tottori Prefectural Police have launched an investigation after nearly 40 kilograms of sliced bread and suspected bird entrails were found illegally dumped inside a national park.
According to the Sankei Shimbun (Aug. 25), the government has condemned the bizarre act as a serious threat that could provoke bear attacks.
The strange discovery began on the 14th when staff from the Natural Park Foundation found piles of sliced bread scattered along a guardrail on a prefectural road bordering the towns of Daisen and Houki inside the Daisen-Oki National Park. The bread had been deliberately placed at intervals stretching over a 150-meter area.
Staff collected 16.7 kilograms of bread that day, but the dumping continued. More bread was discovered at the exact same location the following day, prompting a report to the Kurosaka Police Station.
By August 20, a staggering 39 kilograms of bread had been recovered by cleanup crews. Adding a grisly twist to the mystery, workers also discovered 1.3 kilograms of what appeared to be bird entrails left at the scene.
Local police are now hunting for the perpetrator, treating the incidents as a potential violation of the Waste Management and Public Cleansing Act.
During a post-cabinet press conference on Tuesday, Environment Minister Hirotaka Ishihara blasted the culprit for recklessly endangering the public.
“This is an extremely dangerous act that impacts wildlife ecology. If bears or other wild animals are lured by this food, it threatens the safety of park visitors,” Ishihara said, pledging that the government will work closely with prefectural authorities and police to address the issue.
Authorities are also looking into a potential connection with another unusual sighting. Around the same time the dumping began in Daisen, similar piles of sliced bread were spotted discarded along Hakuto Coast in Tottori City, located approximately 50 kilometers away.
