Japan - animal rescues & news of

[ChrisH]

GOOD NEWS FROM THE ROAD: Yesterday, we met a man at an evacuation centre in Sendai who told us a very touching story about his Akita dog, named Shane. The man is a pillar in his community and when he heard the tsunami warning he rushed to warn his neighbors after letting Shane free in the yard. After notifying his neighborhood, he tried to get back to his house to get Shane, but the tsunami was rapidly approaching and he was forced to go to the local school on higher ground. He had given up hope of ever seeing Shane alive again. But, 6 hours later, one of the people staying in the center said they saw a dog outside. The man went to look, and it was Shane!! Shane had never been to the school before, but somehow, his instincts lead him there. The dog swam through chest-high water before being reunited with his guardian.

The man took us to Shane, who was staying at his house several blocks from the school (the water had receded of course). Shane must have hung onto debris, as he cut both his elbows on something. We instructed the guardian on how to clean his wounds and gave him some ointment to ward off infection. We were able to leave fuel with the local veterinarian, so he will return to check on Shane and provide him with antibiotics to ensure his wounds heal.

Picture links
https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?f...228979&theater

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?f...228979&theater

[ChrisH]

http://www.dailymotion.com/video/xho...ther_lifestyle

[ChrisH]

Japan's 'Cat Island' survives quake

[ChrisH]

Here are some of the animals we have welcomed to our shelter since the earthquake and tsunami, either because they were found lost or their owners could no longer take care of them (hopefully, just temporarily).

We've already taken in over 20 animals who've been displaced by the disaster but there are sure to be more and more coming, and we are trying to create temporary shelters at Animal Friends Niigata to house them. We are also looking into renting a nearby warehouse.

Thank you to all for the great support.
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Japan...07835229228979

Chiro


Hana (she feels more secure when her paw is being held)

[ChrisH]

Lucky


Mimi


Nana

[ChrisH]

Animal welfare groups working around the clock to help Japan's hardest hit areas care for pets

[sana]

Hana (she feels more secure when her paw is being held)

I found this extremely adorable! Its soo sweet that she feels secure with her paw being held

[ChrisH]

Trixie, where we found her limping down the side of the road. This is one very sweet dog!


The other dog our team picked up last night...standing at the side of the road, hair matted and dirty.
Benji didn't make a single sound. Just seems completely in shock.
Heading out again this morning to do more search and rescue in the area, and to meet evacuees for pick-ups.
Thanks to new volunteers Tim and Mary for driving and for helping with Japanese communication!!

In the light of day, we realize that this dog is a Lhasa Apso not a terrier mix.
Due to the beaverlike appearance of his tail everyone is calling him Beaver.


This is the bull for the dairy farm we checked on. They are being cared for by a woman who refuses to leave them
and has run this farm for 40 years. Just inside the exclusion zone.


https://www.facebook.com/album.php?f...8979&aid=55764

[phesina]

God bless you all.

[ChrisH]

Koko, a little brown hen, was found on a trip to Tawauchi to retrieve two family dogs. She clucked her way right into the van along with them. Taking an evacuee back to get the dogs, Koko came up to say hello. Unable to keep her, the evacuee hesitated. Isabella offered to board her with a flock in Niigata for the time being, and so Koko started winging her way to safety.


Koko is not shy about letting us know she's hungry!

[sasvermont]

I contributed to this rescue, thus I receive updates from time to time:


Update 6th/7th/8th April 2011


Day 1


Boys set off by van from Osaka bound for Tohoku. I managed to get the last seat on a plane from Osaka Itami to Fukushima. I was on a small plane full of rescue workers since Fukushima is one centre for the earthquake rescue teams. If one didn't know about the disaster there were only a few signs which indicated anything unusual along the route I took by taxi from the airport towards Motomiya, a town in central Fukushima where I would stay; military aircraft at the airport, the highway somewhat cracked and bumpy and gradually more houses with blue tarps to cover holes where the tiles had come off.


Stayed at Joyama san's mum's house. Joyama san worked at ARK 10 years ago but is now married with two small kids. She runs a pet trimming business and does pet sitting. Since the earthquake she has set up a distribution network with friends to carry food and other necessities to pets of people in evacuation centres, 15 in all. Fortunately her mum helps her too and her mother in law takes care of the kids. J's mum welcomed me and the boys who came later with a comfortable place to sleep, a hot bath and delicious supper. Really grateful to these people for putting us up


Day 2.


Set off in van for meet up in Minami Soma with ECONOMIST bureau chief in Tokyo, Henry Tricks and his Japanese assistant Amie. It's a two hour switchback drive over back roads, many damaged. Suddenly come across 3 dogs in the road. One very matted female ShihTsu , a white mixed male and brown mixed male. We managed to catch two of them but the brown dog, although hungry, refused to come close enough to be caught. The van was so full of kennels and food, we had only space for one cage for the white dog, so I held the ShihTsu on my lap. Arriving at Minami Soma city office, a nerve centre for the local area, we decided to split up. I would travel with Henry and the boys would check on the ownership of the two dogs.


Nice to be in a comfortable car after being cramped in the van. There were four of us including a local evacuee who would act as our guide. He was glad to get out of the evacuation centre for the day as he had no car himself and was bored to death. Henry suggested we try to go as far into the 20k no-go area around the reactor as we could. He had a small geiger counter in the car to register levels of radiation. Soon we come up against a police block. Guarded by a very stroppy policeman who refused to let us pass despite the car having a diplomatic number plate, Henry had a press pass and we had a resident with us. It was not worth arguing with this policeman so we chose another smaller road to get inside. Actually there are a lot of back routes in.


Coming closer to the coast we could see the total devastation of where the tsunami struck Like a desert with piles of trees, rubbish, cars and bit of houses. They say that many old people kept all their savings in a chest (tansu ) as they didn't trust banks so a lot of money was carried back out to sea. Negotiating the tree strewn road we came across a barn with horses. Their owner was feeding them with hay and grain as best he could but was limiting rations. These poor creatures are thin, hungry, with woulds all over their legs and bodies, standing in the mud and rubbish left by the tsunami. What terror they must have felt when the wave came in.


The owner was at first reluctant to talk but gradually he opened up, telling us of his experience. He and his family fled to Niigata but were then prohibited from coming back to their place for two weeks, since it is within the 20k no-go area. So the horses were left without food or water for two whole weeks. When he returned 6 horses were dead and the other 37 very weak. He had pulled the dead horses out of the barn and they lay in their death throes at the entrance. It is so distressing to see horses that have died of starvation. Now he didn't know what to do. He had run round his contacts but nobody wanted to take animals that were possibly radiated He said he was so depressed that he though he would have to kill the remaining horses. Behind the barn a bit up the hill we found 5 steers, also belonging to him, one was also dead. This one person has to carry water from a distance every day and food for the horses when he can find it. He has no energy left to clear the mud and debris in the barn.


We asked him to hold on and we would try to help. The next day we made contact with two organisations rescuing horses; Intaiba Kyokai and Uma to Aiyumu Soma.
I spoke with Numata san of the former organisation and she is in contact with that owner and will visit his place today (9th) . So will update on that. I fear that several of the horses will have to be put down due to infection of their wounds and weak condition.


After that we drove further inland to areas untouched by the wave but still inside the 20k no-go zone. Although most of the houses are unscathed, the place has an eerie feel as there are no people. Saw quite a few dogs, obviously owned but running around free. One beautiful Akita sat proudly outside his house, waiting for his owner who may never return. There was plenty of dog food at the back and water so someone must be coming. I left ARK's contact number just in case as well as in other places where there were loose dogs. It is doubtful that anyone can ever live there again due to radiation levels in the soil……. so very sad. Arrived back to J san's mum's house, very tired and hungry,had forgotten to eat lunch. No peace though, another earthquake lasting around 3 minutes magnitude 7.4 struck at 11.30 p.m. the house shook but no damage.


Day 3


Our plans change again, but we are getting used to this. Members of Tokyo ARK are driving to Ibaragi to pick up the 7 dogs which are being sent from Tokyo Haneda to Osaka Itami. The boys plan to drive around the outside of the 20k exclusion zone to see if there are animals to rescue. (needless to say they found a Golden Retriever, wandering in the middle of the road and about to be run over so load it in the van. This dog will come to Osaka 9th)


I join J san to see her storage place in Koriyama and to visit a huge evacuation centre called Big Pallette , a former event stadium, where 10,000 evacuees are living! Searched around the car park where some dogs are tied to cars or inside cars. there is no shade in this place so a dangerous situation even in this cooler weather. A woman with a pug told us there is a room inside for people and pets, around 10 dogs but she said it is so noisy and smelly nobody wants to stay there. Returned to J's Mum's house and waited for the boys to return as they are taking me and the two dogs (rescued yesterday) to the airport. Have decided to fly back to Osaka as ANA won't fly dogs which are unaccompanied. Even with a booking it is touch and go whether the dogs can be flown as it is a small plane and there are a lot of rescue workers with equipment to carry. Boys stay until we are safely airborne. ANA is flying earthquake animals from Fukushima for free. Arrive home around 10 pm, put the two dogs in a room the staff have prepared with blankets, food and water and then go to greet my gang. Good to be home.


The fear is now that the exclusion zone may be extended to 30k or more, a frightening prospect of where people and pets will go. The house we were staying is 45k away. We are now considering renting/buying a place to act as a temporary shelter in Fukushima, since we will soon be reaching capacity here and in Tokyo. J san's area Motomiya is very central and convenient. She is asking an estate agent friend to search. Will keep you all posted. When we consider that Fukushima is only one prefecture and there are maybe six or seven affected by this disaster, the scale is just mammoth but we'll do what we can.


The kids at a primary school class in the US have all sent drawings and messages supporting our efforts for the earthquake animals, all very touching. We don't know this school but they must have found us through the internet.




Elizabeth Oliver

[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