Japanese airport facing ‘bear’ traffic control problems

He might be smarter than the average bear.

A Japanese airport is in a “stalemate” with a black bear who has repeatedly disrupted operations on the runway and caused a dozen flights to be canceled on Thursday.

The four-foot-tall bear was spotted near the tarmac of the Yamagata Airport at around 7 a.m., initially causing flights to be delayed as staffers struggled to shoo the animal away, Japanese outlet Yomiuri Shimbun reported.

Following the delay, the black bear entered the airport yet again and could be seen running around the tarmac as airport staff tried to used a car to chase it away.

Footage from the airport shows the furry trespasser sprinting away from the vehicle, but the bear proved too difficult to herd away remains elsewhere inside the airport.

“Given the situation there is no way we can host plane arrivals now,” Yamagata airport official Akira Nagai told Agence France-Presse.

Hunters and officers have since been called to set up traps and catch the bear before he manages to escape the airport.

“We’re in a stalemate now,” Nagai said.

Japan has seen an uptick in bear encounters over the years as its declining population has seen humans retreat from shrinking rural villages that the large mammals are now reclaiming.

Bear attacks have reached record levels over the past year, with Japan reporting six deaths and 219 attacks. Japan has since approved for hunters to shoot bears found in populated areas.