Animals of the Japan Earthquake and Tsunami

“Japan is a nation of pet lovers and many families affected have lost animals, been forced to leave them behind or have taken them to evacuation centers where there is limited space, food and water” -WSPA

The WSPA (World Society for the Protection of Animals) is actively making a difference for the animal victims of the earthquake and tsunami that hit Japan on March 11, 2011. In the beginning of the disaster, WSPA monitored the situation from afar to strategize about exactly how to help. According to WSPA’s “Animals In Disasters” blog, Dr. Ian Dacre and Dr. Damian Woodberry started by signing up to join the “shelter cluster” set up by the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA). Relief workers have brilliantly decided to set up the animal shelters beside the shelters housing their human parents. Seeing as the human victims are grouped together in shelters by neighborhood, it only makes sense to do the same with their pets.

Next, WSPA launched an appeal to help raise money for the care of Japan’s animals in the wake of such a disaster. WSPA aims to raise at least “$150,000 for Japanese animals to help cover the critical recovery period in the aftermath of the recent earthquake and tsunami.” The funds raised will go directly towards “the set up of 30 temporary shelters for pets via the Animal Disaster Response Team (ADRT), a coalition of local animal groups, including WSPA’s local member society, Japan Animal Welfare Society (JAWS).” And then any food and water needs will be coordinated by the ADRT.  

Additionally on the WSPA blog, it details the Disaster Assessment Needs Analysis (DANA) which “estimates that between 16,000 and 19,000 pets are affected in two of the worst hit regions alone.” Many other animals and livestock surrounding the Fukushima nuclear power station had to be abandoned due to immediate evacuation orders. The DANA concluded that “most owners took their pets to the evacuation centers, where they have remained since.” And because there are few lost or abandoned animals reported, the pets left behind are thought to have died in the tsunami.

During the DANA, there were approximately 350,000 people staying in evacuation centers and about 7-10% of people living in shelters have animals with them; therefore, in total, there are probably over 30,000 animals in need of the emergency shelters. As of March 25, WSPA aimed to establish 30 temporary emergency animal shelters. And on March 28, Dr. Damian Woodberry arrived in Japan to scout locations for the emergency animal shelters as well as look into possible suppliers for the materials to build them.

In addition to the 30 WSPA funded animal shelters, Japan’s Animal Disaster Response Team (ADRT) concluded that another 170 animal shelters are needed to continue to match the growing number of animals in need of temporary housing. The numbers continue to grow because while some human shelters allow animals, many do not, so people are resorting to tying their animals outside the shelters in bitter cold temperatures. Other animals stay a bit warmer inside their owners’ cars.

To further help the unclaimed animals, “Vets have also been micro-chipping and taking photos of stray pets, which are then posted on a common government website in hopes of reuniting owners with their lost pets.”

Returning Japan to its former self will be a journey lasting many years, but animals and their owners still need help right now. Food, medicine, and shelter are the primary concerns at the moment, which are getting more and more difficult to come by. Since numerous roads were damaged during both the earthquake(s) and tsunami it has been difficult for trucks to deliver emergency supplies. But, no matter what, the Japanese will not give up; bicycles are the new way of transporting supplies to hard-to-reach places.

Any donations whether it be money, food, water, medicine, or other materials, will definitely be appreciated. Here’s to hoping that every animal receives the best care possible and a safe place to recover.

*All quotes and information from WSPA’s Animals in Disasters blog