Local heroes – stories from Japan
May 11, 2011
The recovery continues, following the devastating earthquake and tsunami that hit Japan on the 11th of March. As communities rebuild, WSPA continues relief work for animals, alongside our partners the Japanese Animal Welfare Society (JAWS), and with the local Animal Disaster Response Team (ADRT).
Australian, Dr Damian Woodberry, is our expert vet on the ground, who has seen firsthand how animals are coping and has had the opportunity to meet some of the remarkable people caring for them. Here are their stories...
Akitsugu Kakimoto: a champion for animals
© WSPA
Akitsugu Kakimoto, like many Japanese people, loves animals. He runs his own animal welfare charity called ‘Pet With’. In the immediate aftermath of the disaster he was one of the first people our local partners, JAWS, could call on to get aid and support to the animals in Sendai - one of the cities decimated by the tsunami.
He has been visiting the city twice a week since. Each time he carries essential supplies of pet food and medications, and visits the animal shelters, local vets, the Sendai City Animal Control Centre and those human evacuation shelters that are allowing pets in.
Kakimoto has also been providing shelter to abandoned pets in his home town of Niigata.
In the aftermath of the disaster Kakimoto’s ‘Pet With’ has turned into one of the best equipped shelters for abandoned and lost pets. Kakimoto also makes regular rounds of all the evacuation centres in Niigata, making sure that animals are included in their plans.
Taro: a true survivor
© WSPA
Dr Toshinori Abe: guardian of Ishinomako
© WSPA
Only two of the eight veterinary clinics in Ishinomaki survived the disaster. One of them, the Abe Animal Hospital, owned and run by Dr Toshinori Abe, has become the headquarters for vet response in the city.
A large group of trained veterinarians and vet technicians are currently working there under Abe’s guidance. The clinic is full of animals that were either brought in by their owners (who are unable to care for them at this time) or rescued by volunteers. At one stage there were around 30 dogs and cats and one rabbit.
Several of the animals at the clinic were picked up by the tsunami and dumped kilometres inland; sadly not all animals survived this ordeal but the ones that did are receiving the very best care at the hospital.
“Dr. Toshinori Abe and the rest of his team at the Abe Animal Hospital are doing such wonderful work in Ishinomaki. It was truly rewarding to witness it first hand,” says WSPA’s Dr Damian Woodberry.
“The local Animal Disaster Response Team has already delivered over two tonnes of supplies to the hospital, including cases of dog food, medicines, cages, petrol… so it was particularly gratifying to see how our general support is helping support the networks to deliver aid to some of the animals in Japan.”
The beginning of a long journey
© WSPA
The devastating impact of the earthquake and tsunami can be seen across Japan. In Niigata around 7,000 people from Fukushima – the region badly affected by the nuclear crisis – are now staying in evacuation centres that are normally schools and stadium. As animals are not allowed in this stadium, shelters have been assembled nearby so owners have a safe place for their pets.
In Sendai, it will be at least two years before people are able to move back to their houses, so it’s important to reunite pets or keep them near their families and owners. So far the local Animal Control Centre has been able to reunite all but 14 pets with their owners but, sadly, 150 dogs and cats registered as missing at the centre by their owners have still not been found.
While relief is well and truly underway, there is still much work to do. We need your support to continue our work to help the animals of Japan.
Please click here to make a donation today.
For the latest on the situation in Japan please visit our Animals in Disasters Blog.