Japan - animal rescues & news of

[sasvermont]

Update 11th April 2011


One month since the quake and tsunami, so much more to do.


Many of you have expressed concern about the horses starving to death in the 20k No-Go zone. Amie Nagano from the Economist who was together with me when we came across this farm has forwarded an update. Numata san who is with Intaiba Kyokai, which runs a foster programme for rescued and retired horses, visited the farm on the 9th. She has arranged to move the horses to a temporary shelter in Soma, outside the No-go zone. Unfortunately two more horses had died and two more are too weak to be transported so they have been left with the owner. I think that Intaiba Kyokai has good connections with the local authorities and so is better placed that we are to arrange all this. I'm glad however that we could bring this to their notice and that they are helping those poor animals.


The area where that farm is was so badly hit by the tsunami, just sand and mud, not a blade of grass anywhere but in other unaffected hilly areas, horses and cows have been let loose to forage and now it's spring, there'll be enough grass for them to survive on. I will try to get more information from Numata san.


Boys came back yesterday evening from Fukushima with five dogs; cream lab female, brown mix male, beige mix male, black and tan mix female, shiba female. Their names are BE MY FRIEND, BRAVE, TOHOHOKU BOY, JUST ME and SECRET. The two dogs I brought back the day before are called : SAFE and SOUND and the Golden Retriever sent by air, I'M OK. We are running out of names so suggestions, please Since we don't know if these dogs have owners or not ,we are sending details with photos to the authorities nearest to where they were found.


An announcement this morning is very serious. Within two weeks the whole area of 20k around the reactor will be sealed off and people won't be allowed to go in there. That means that we have to rescue as many animals as possible before that time limit. Although we had found a possible place for setting up an animal evacuation shelter just inside Fukushima, it would take around a month to set it up. The same goes for our land in Sasayama. Tokyo ARK too is very over-stretched as they have to take the animals to outside vets for checking and neutering before placing them in foster homes. Therefore the logistics of moving to Fukushima and arranging for staff to go and work there is really not possible. We have therefore decided to divide the facilities here as much as we can, in order to accommodate incoming animals. It will mean a lot of extra work for our staff and less space for animals, but without doing this, the animals in Fukushima cannot be rescued and may not survive. We are ordering fence circles which can be put up quite easily and we have plenty of kennels already.


The account that we have been using for replying to English emails and sending out updates has reached it's limits so we have set up a new email account that will be used specificaly for updates and emails related to the earthquake and subsequent disasters. So as of the next update the updates will be coming from [email protected]


Elizabeth Oliver
Animal Refuge Kansai - ARK
Web Site: http://arkbark.net

[ChrisH]

jears slideshow of some of the work to date
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n4fs0...&feature=share

[sasvermont]

Update 13th April 2011

The emergency at the nuclear reactor has been upgrade to a maximum of 7 and they are talking about extending the evacuation area to 35k. This is bad news. On the other hand the Government is trying to promote farm produce from Fukushima prefecture, so somewhat conflicting reports.

The boys set off yesterday evening for Fukushima. They are staying at a hot spring in central Fukushima and will probably concentrate on rescue of animals near to or within the 20k No-Go zone. They aim to rescue 10 per day for the next three days. Tokyo ARK will meet them and transport the animals to Tokyo Haneda to be flown to Osaka Itami, where we will pick them up. Marisa Miyamoto, our vet has been processing these animals very quickly; vaccinating, de-worming, checking for heartworm and neutering within a couple of days. It is a relief to have a competent vet on site in this emergency.

Our problem now will be space. A couple of days ago we heard of a motel for sale, very cheap, in central Fukushima and I was planning to go up there and see it but on hearing from the estate agent yesterday that the motel is probably in the hands of gangsters, we cancelled our trip and decided to let it go. The fact that the motel was so cheap sent a few alarm bells ringing and now we know why.

The wire panels for dividing enclosures have just arrived so we will start work on this.

Elizabeth Oliver ARK
Animal Refuge Kansai - ARK
Web Site: http://arkbark.net


How to donate: We have two ways to donate, the first being Paypal, if you follow the link
from the English http://arkbark.net site it will take you to Paypal in English. Another
option would be International Postal Money Order sent to:

595 Noma Ohara, Nose-cho
Toyono-gun, Osaka-fu 563-0131
Japan

[ChrisH]

Woman works to rescue animals in Japan

[sasvermont]

Update 20th April 2011

Four more dogs in yesterday.

HARLEQUIN female Setter
TRUE BLUE male Beagle
FAIRWAY female Beagle
VANILLA old male Beagle given up by owner

Boys also returned for a break, they have been on the go without a day off for over a week now.
They brought back photos, some very distressing; small dog left in cage which the owner had asked them to pick up, already dead of starvation; others dead on chains, their bodies just skin stretched over bones showing they died of starvation, cats and dogs dead in the road, some hit by rescue vehicles. There are estimated to be 2000 evacuation centres in Fukushima prefecture, some huge gymnasiums, others smaller, like temples or private facilities. Now that the school year has started, evacuees have to move out of schools to other evacuation places. Most pets are not allowed in any of these so people keep them tied to cars or in cars. This will be dangerous as the weather gets warmer.

When talking to evacuees about why they haven't been back to rescue their pets they answer as follows:

*many people have no transport; they were bused to the evacuation centres by the authorities. Even if they have a car, they have no petrol. There is no public transport.

* When they were evacuated, they thought it would only be for a couple of days so they left their pets with enough food and water for that time.

* they are constantly told of the dangers of radiation and prevented from going back home. This is of course a real fear because nobody knows how much radiation is in the air or on the ground.

After the boys rescued animals, they and the animals had to be checked for radiation. To make sure that animals were free of radiation, the boys shampooed and washed any that were especially dirty before sending them to Osaka.

In yesterday's update I said that the period of danger from radiation which prevents people from being able to return home, even though their homes are not damaged, would be 6 - 9 months, this is unlikely. People are now predicting one year or two before it is safe to go back and many places will become uninhabitable for ever.

Total of rescued animals to date: 71 dogs, 15 cats, one bird.

Elizabeth Oliver ARK
Animal Refuge Kansai - ARK
Web Site: http://arkbark.net

How to donate: We have two ways to donate, the first being Paypal, if you follow the link
from the English http://arkbark.net site it will take you to Paypal in English. Another
option would be International Postal Money Order sent to:

595 Noma Ohara, Nose-cho
Toyono-gun, Osaka-fu 563-0131
Japan

[sasvermont]

Update 22nd April 2011

Really a blow to all animals still remaining in the 20k zone. The Government sealed off the area officially from midnight yesterday, meaning those who break the order and return will be faced with $1000 fine and possibly 30 days imprisonment. Many evacuees, fearing they might not see their homes again for months, raced into the deserted town before the deadline. 80,000 people in all were evacuated. Some stayed however, about 40 people, many of them dairy farmers who refuse to leave their cattle. The officials are trying to force them to leave.

According to government figures about 3,400 cows, 31,000 pigs and 630,000 chickens were left in the zone, assumed to have died by now. This figure is probably an estimate of commercial farms and does not include horses, or pets.

The authorities will allow one person per household into the area for a maximum of two hours to collect personal belongings but since they are being taken there by mini bus , it is unlikely they can carry out their pets with them. No visits whatever are allowed within 3k of the plant.

Since we are unable to go into the 20k zone from now on, our main work will be in helping pets already in evacuation centres or other places. People can either board pets at ARK for free or if they decide to give them up, we can take them in and offer them up for adoption. We worry that with the weather getting warmer, pets kept in cars without shade will die of heat stroke. Already by posting photos and details of rescued animals on our homepage and on other sites, quite a lot of owners have contacted us. FAIRWAYS owner is one , GUESS, another, and a black dog now at Tokyo ARK. All these owners are actively look for homes so hopefully they can soon have their pets back with them. We are offering employment here at ARK for people with pets plus accommodation since many people in Tohoku have lost their homes and their jobs.

Many people had all their savings destroyed by the tsunami and so much money was swept out to sea and yet when people find a bag of cash they hand it in to the nearest police station. That would not happen in any other country.

We have also had a group in Miyage Prefecture wanting us to take in 30 rescued dogs since their facility is over-flowing and they lack foster homes. This situation will get worse as small organisations get over-whelmed. We have really only concentrated on Fukushima but there are still all the other prefectures to include. But in addition to this we have to take in dogs from the breeder in Ibaragi whose house was damaged and is without power or water. Around 120 dogs including; Shar Pei, Bulldogs, Cocker Spaniel, Italian Greyhounds, Chinese Cresteds, Toy Poodles, Mini Pinchers, French bulldogs, Chihuahua, Shih Tsu, Pug and mixed. Aim to go next Monday/Tuesday and start with rescue of females and puppies first.

A great dog lover in Fukuoka, Kyushu, who has adopted old dogs from ARK in the past , has offered her spacious garden to set up a rescue facility. She has offered space for ten dogs but we'll perhaps start with five. The dogs will be flown from Osaka to Fukuoka and I may go down there myself to see them settled in.

Attached photos - dogs found inside the exclusion zone, all are now at ARK in Osaka

Elizabeth Oliver ARK
Animal Refuge Kansai - ARK
Web Site: http://arkbark.net

How to donate: We have two ways to donate, the first being Paypal, if you follow the link
from the English http://arkbark.net site it will take you to Paypal in English. Another
option would be International Postal Money Order sent to:

595 Noma Ohara, Nose-cho
Toyono-gun, Osaka-fu 563-0131
Japan

[sasvermont]

Update 19th June 2011

The owner of the little Dashchund that we rescued and called REMEMBER ME contacted us. She is the daughter of the family that owned the dog, but lives herself, in Tokyo. We were shocked by the fact the little dog was tied by a heavy chain outside and would have starved to death if we hadn't rescued him. The dog is now being fostered lovingly by a family in Kansai and of course kept inside. Although the daughter has promised to make sure the dog will be kept inside from now on, it is difficult for us to check on this, we can only trust her word. This is a dilemma we face; should we return an animal to a place where it was neglected even though they are the rightful owners and want their dog back ?

We also had contact from Joyama san, a former ARK staff who is volunteering to supply evacuation centres in Fukushima with pet supplies. She has been contacted by Namie-cho officials saying that people are now being moved into temporary housing and that many cages will be needed for pets. We can't understand why pets cannot be kept free inside the temporary housing units, but apparently not. Once we know what kind of cages they need and the sizes, we will arrange a donation to them.

One veterinarian, Dr.Imamoto of Shinjo Animal hospital in Nara, has recently put his blog up, (see below), appealing for help to rescue animals in the 20k zone. We have received his permission to publish this. Out of the thousands of veterinarians in Japan, why have not more come forward to protest about the thousands of animals which have died through dehydration and starvation, due to the fact their carers were not allowed to go and attend to them ?

Elizabeth Oliver
Animal Refuge Kansai - ARK
Web Site: http://arkbark.net



Dr. Imamoto is a well known Veterinarian in Japan. He has created a statement in Japanese for The Hachiko Coalition to distribute to the media. The Hachiko Coalition has translated this statement into English:

My name is Shigeki Imamoto and I am a Japanese veterinarian. I run an animal clinic in Nara Prefecture.
I have made several trips to the danger zone in the vicinity of the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant since the earthquake and tsunami disaster occurred. I’ve seen what has happened to the animals that were left behind. Cows, pigs and chickens starved to death. Dogs and cats as well.
After the incident at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant, residents were evacuated from the area within 20 kilometers of the plant and told they would be able to return in a few days. This is a very painful situation for those who left their animals believing it would be for just a few days. They are now able to make temporary visits back to their homes, and in doing so are confronted with the starved corpses of cattle they raised themselves, as well as the dead bodies of pets with whom they lived for many years.
Before the danger zone was established, a great number of animals were rescued due to the efforts of volunteers in Japan. Some of those who kept cattle released them from their pens before they themselves were evacuated from the zone. Many thought long and hard before taking action.
No one wanted to see animals that they had raised suffer death by starvation. But the 20 kilometer limit, which was abruptly imposed, became a line that determined life or death for many animals. Currently, primarily through the Ministry of the Environment, volunteer veterinarians have begun rescuing pets in response to requests. But these efforts so far have managed to bring only several pets out of the zone each day, and not yielded great results. There are also some areas where pet owners have been unable to make any visits back to their homes, and every passing day brings them pain.

Through all of this, animals have survived. Pet owners and cattle owners alike hope for their survival. Despite all of this concern, thus far, unable to enter the danger zone, we could do little other than worry.
I’ve received permission several times to enter and assess the situation. It’s no longer time to assess. It’s time to act. There are lives still waiting to be saved.
If we raise our voices on this issue, we can bring about a change in this situation.
— Doctor of Veterinary Medicine Shigeki Imamoto

Previous blog by Dr. Imamotot on 15th April contains very disturbing footage:

http://www.animalsasia.org/images/en...oReport_sl.pdf


I must warn you about the photos in the link above. They are very, very graphic and not for the faint of heart. So very sad. Sad, sad, sad. Japan should take better care of their animals. They could have done food and water drops from planes and could have sent ppl in to release the animals.




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