Self-driving ‘Monster Wolf’ deployed to ward off wild animals at airport in Hokkaido

The self-driving “Monster Wolf” is shown to the press in the city of Kushiro, Hokkaido, July 13, 2026. (Mainichi/Kimitaka Hirayama)

KUSHIRO, Hokkaido — A self-driving wolflike device dubbed the “Monster Wolf” has been deployed at Kushiro Airport here to prevent wild animals from entering runways.

Hokkaido Airports Co., based in the city of Chitose, Hokkaido, unveiled the device to the media on July 13. According to the company, this is the first full-scale deployment anywhere in Japan of a self-driving Monster Wolf.

The airport, located in hilly terrain about 20 kilometers from central Kushiro, has long struggled with incursions by small animals such as foxes and rabbits. To tackle the problem, the airport conducted a two-year trial beginning in 2024 using a Monster Wolf made by Ohta Seiki based in the prefectural town of Naie. The company says testing confirmed its deterrent effect, reducing the presence of small animals.

The new Monster Wolf is mounted on a robotic lawn mower guided by GPS. It slowly travels back and forth along a roughly 250-meter route inside the restricted area on the north side of Kushiro Airport, maintaining a 24-hour watch. When infrared sensors detect small animals, it emits sounds from a repertoire of 50 noises, including wolf howls, to drive them away.

Akihiro Mikami, head of the company’s airport operations department at the Kushiro Airport Office, expressed expectations, saying, “It will help reduce the risk of collisions with aircraft while also improving work efficiency in areas such as driving off small animals.”

(Japanese original by Kimitaka Hirayama, Kushiro Bureau)