Abandoned Fukushima animals at risk as winter approaches

More than 120,000 people abandoned the Fukushima Prefecture after a tsunami struck the coast of Japan and caused three nuclear reactors to melt to their core. Although thousands of people were evacuated, thousands of animals were abandoned in the process. Now, many of these animals are at risk as winter lurks around the corner. (1)

Not all hope is lost for these abandoned animals. Foreign animal volunteer Miwa Wang has been working with Fukkou-no-ie (House of Hope), a facility set up in Iitate village in 2014 by Miyoshi Hirayam, to help rescue dogs abandoned by their owners at the Fukushima Prefecture. (1)

About two dozen dogs currently reside at the shelter, though many more need to be rescued. Volunteers also take care of a farm pig named Kuro-chan. (1)

Fukushima’s Ark

Wang highlights the many reasons why so many animals were left behind during the evacuation. “No evacuation facilities and/or temporary housing were designed to accommodate pets in Fukushima at the time of the disaster,” she says. “Although two cities in Fukushima are now providing pet-friendly housing, nothing changed for evacuees in other areas.”(1)

Wang also notes that in the eyes of Japanese law, animals are seen as objects rather than sentient beings with preferences. Many Japanese citizens maybe in clear violation with animal protection laws, but maintain the right to treat their animals as they please.

According to a local government survey, approximately 90 percent of Japanese residents have no interest in returning to their abandoned homes in the Fukushima Prefecture. Nevertheless, they refuse to let go of their dogs, denying them the hope to find a better home.(1)

“Some owners want their dogs to guard empty homes; some want their dogs to be at their empty home for emotional security — ‘I have something to look forward to when I return’; a few are shy about asking others to help; some have no choice but to leave their beloved animals alone in the cold or heat for years,” Wang says.(1)

The animals left behind at the Fukushima Prefecture are under the constant threat of morbidity: they must scavenge for food, endure frigid nights, ward off predators, and are constantly exposed to noxious radiation.

Meet the radiation man

Wang isn’t the only volunteer in town who is trying to save abandoned animals. Naoto Matsumara is the only human willing to live within the 12.5 mile exclusion zone within Fukushima. He originally fled the Fukushima Prefecture, but returned out of concern for the animals left behind. He spends the majority of his day looking for and taking care of abandoned animals.(2)

According to an interview with Vice, Matsumura is subject to seventeen times the amount of radiation of a normal person. Doctors say Matsumura will feel the effects of the radiation within 30 to 40 years. “I’ll most likely be dead by then anyway, so I couldn’t care less,” Matsumura told Vice in an interview.(2)

His supports refer to Matsumura as “the guardian of animals.” Matsumara had freed all of the animals abandoned in their homes at the Fukushima Prefecture. The animals are completely dependent on Matsumara for food and other natural sources. By the same token, Matsumara is completely dependent on donations from his supporters to take care of the animals. He’s been taking care of the abandoned dogs, cats, cows, horses and even ostriches since 2011.(2)

Fortunately, Wang and Matsumura are compensating for the negligence of thousands of pet owners in Japan. Unfortunately, many of the problems leading up to and after the disaster are a product of this shared vice.

Sources include:

(1) JapanTimes.co.jp
(2) Mirror.Co.Uk