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How to help pets in Japan
Thousands of dogs and cats have been injured or lost in the recent earthquake and tsunami in Japan. Here's how you can help these four-legged victims.
Mon, Mar 14 2011 at 3:00 PM
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CANINE HELP: Kyoko Nagasawa holds her dog at a shelter in Ofunato in east Japan's Iwate prefecture. They were fortunate to land at a shelter that accepts pets. (Photo: ZUMA Press)
Although the full human cost of the devastating earthquake and tsunami in Japan is not yet known, a few organizations are raising concerns about the nation's pets and wildlife.
Japan is a country that loves its pets. (According to the website WhatJapanThinks.com, 35 percent of Japanese own pets. Of those animals, 46 percent are dogs and 31 percent are cats. Birds and rabbits are also popular pets in Japan.) One of the country's most well-known statues honors Hachiko, an Akita known for his incredible loyalty to his owner, even years after his owner's death.
Understanding how the Japanese honor their animals makes the current situation even more painful to watch. Tens of thousands of people have been evacuated, have fled or are missing, leaving their beloved animals to fend for themselves. According to the website of Shiga Angel Group Shelter in Takashima City, many shelters for disaster victims will not accept animals, making the problem worse.
Elizabeth Oliver, chair of Animal Refuge Kansai in Tokyo and Osaka, explains why rescuing many of these animals will be difficult. "The logistics of getting animal from the Tohoku/Sendai area is immense since roads and other transport links have been cut and may take time to restore. Our only means to get animals down to Osaka may be by helicopter, which was one method we used after the Kobe earthquake." Oliver says that refuge officials expect many animals will be under stress or injured and the organization expects it may need to build extra emergency centers to help them.
Medicine and supplies will be desperately needed in the disaster zone, according to World Vets, a nonprofit organization that provides global veterinary aid. World Vets is collecting veterinary supplies and medicines through the group's website, including de-worming medicines, vaccinations, fluid replacements, wound treatments, cages and cash donations. The donations will be used to assist the first-responder team the organization will establish to house and treat injured and lost animals. According to the group's Facebook page, World Vets representatives headed into the disaster zone on Sunday to start rescuing animals.
Meanwhile, a disaster assessment and response team from the World Society for the Protection of Animals (WSPA) will leave for Japan on Tuesday with a goal of helping the pets that cannot join their human families in disaster shelters. The WSPA also says, "several animal welfare groups in Japan have come together to launch a coordinated effort to help the animals affected by last week's quake and resultant tsunami." The WSPA is accepting donations through its Animal Disaster Fund.
The American Humane Association is also accepting donations to provide disaster relief to Japan's animals.
One additional way to help is by supporting the Search Dog Foundation, which is sending six rescue Canine Disaster Search Teams to Japan to help locate people who have been trapped in falling buildings. The foundation is deploying 72 people and 75 tons of rescue equipment to assist with the effort.
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@ someoneelse:
You are using up valuable air and space. Please do us all a favor and hold your breath until you die!
Let man be judged by how he treats animals!
Caring for anything alive is right. But, the point of this message is that if you are one of the posters that give to pets OVER humans (or will not give to humans at all), you are at best a hypocrite (as humans are usually innocent, living things too) but much more likely one of the stupidest wastes of breath that our current society is pumping out.
Not really making your natural selction point here...
Those creatures that were able to survive the disaster are evidence of natural selection and... luck/chance/higher power/etc.
We are all creatures of this world - period.
Not really making your natural selction point here...
Those creatures that were able to survive the disaster are evidence of natural selection and... luck/chance/higher power/etc.
We are all creatures of this world - period.
Stop trying to tell people how to spend THEIR money. How anyone else spends THEIR money is none of your damn concern. If you want to donate YOUR money to human causes, YOUR business. If others want to spend THEIRS on animal causes, THEIR business. So STFU.
That is not an insult either. I honestly mean it. You are so full of hate and are so incredibly pathetic that I honestly hope that you do meet someone who can help you. Trust me, a pet will not get you through the problems you definitely have. Only true human interaction will.
For both people AND pets affected by this disaster.
Fuck all the animals!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
What the hell people, who cares about some dog or cat. What you should be worried about is that the super mutants are gonna show up and you dont have enough stimpacks to go around. Maybe they should eat them seeing that they are starving over there.
as there is no way the person who wrote the post I am replying to is fully sane or a valued member of a productive society.
Funny, I feel exactly the same way about you and all the other animal haters in the world!
Don't worry about my priorities. They are exactly where they should be! I care about DECENT people, and for the most part, I feel the Japanese are animal lovers and that's why I HAVE helped the human victims there as well as the animals.
I chose NOT to help Katrina humans because they left their pets behind on purpose even with days advance warning. People like that are a waste of space on this planet! Why would I care at all about THEM!?
Because my child is more important than a pet. And, right now, children in Japan are most important because they are in grave danger. My money is behind them 100%
is more important to YOU than a pet. And good for you, donating money for Japanese children. Spend your money whichever way you want, and let the rest of us do the same.
Well guess what Sue, ANY animal is more important to me than your child! If your kid turns out anything like you and hates animals then it's a waste of space on this planet, just like you!
You do realize that children are in grave danger EVERY DAY of the year in places like Darfur?
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