NTT Docomo Business has begun deploying drones to locate and drive away wild bears, in partnership with the village of Showa in Fukushima Prefecture, informed sources have said. The high-performance drones, featuring a camera equipped with a thermal imaging function, can be effective in the early morning and at night, when bears tend to be active. The aircraft support the long-term evolution, or LTE, wireless communication standard, which is used for mobile phones. NTT Docomo Business, under the aegis of the group led by telecommunications giant NTT, plans to start offering the service to other municipalities as a new measure to address bear attacks at a time when reports on damage caused by the animals are increasing around the country. The drones search areas where bears were spotted to help hunters cull them. The thermal camera is used to locate bears if they flee into bushes.