The increasing number of bear attacks on residents of rural areas in Japan has prompted the government to begin installing surveillance cameras near mountains to monitor the animals’ movements and warn communities in advance.

The Environment Ministry said it was installing more than 800 cameras in the northern Tohoku region to accurately estimate the bear population and identify individual animals.

Jars of honey mixed with wine, placed at about head height, will lure the bears so the cameras can capture each animal’s distinctive white chest markings as it stands on its hind legs to sniff the sweet tonic, the Japan Times reported.

Meanwhile, a farmer who owns a hillside orchard in Badong County, Hubei province, China, installed more than 170 surveillance cameras on his property.

A video showing the cameras mounted on poles, standing almost shoulder to shoulder and resembling a forest of CCTV cameras, went viral on Chinese social media.

Netizens wondered why the orchard warranted such heavy security, the South China Morning Post reported.

On 26 June, the local village committee explained that the landowner was trying to raise the value of his property by making improvements that would increase government compensation when the land is acquired for a new highway.

Under China’s compulsory land acquisition policy, residents may claim compensation for assets on the property, including fruit trees, sheds, fences and security cameras.

Local authorities, however, said the farmer installed the cameras 12 months after construction in the area had been prohibited, making the additional equipment ineligible for compensation.