3 Japan Earthquake: We Are Witness, Animals Die In Radiation Zones

Many cows are stranded in radiation zones, Kinship Circle — We are in Fukushima, Japan.
In the 20km radiation zone.
We're not allowed in here.
We are witness.

We are in Fukushima, Japan.
In the 20km radiation zone.
We're not allowed in here.
We are witness.

A downed cow in Japan's radiation zone dies in rescuer Courtney Chandel's arms (c) Kinship Circle

Responder Courtney Chandel calls Kinship director Brenda Shoss from a radiation zone barn filled with dead and dying cows, (c) Kinship Circle

KC officer Ron Presley and Susie, (c) Kinship Circle — We Are Witness

We Are Witness

JAPAN RADIATION EXCLUSION ZONEA local guide leads Kinship Circle Disaster Animal Response Team into the 20km exclusion zone around Fukushima's nuclear plant. In full Tyveck safety suits, they hike past barricades along rural dirt paths. Army vehicles whiz by on a distant road. She lies on her side, eyes wide with fear. Her utter is inflamed and bones protrude. She is dying. We have hay for her, but it is too late. Once a cow is down organs compress against organs and slowly shut down. She breathes in ragged spurts and shakes. I stroke her beautiful and bewildered face. My voice calms her, so I ask if she'd been a mother.

It's okay, you can let go now. Please sleep, so it won't hurt. When I shift positions, the downed cow struggles to stand. Does she know my tears are for her? Does she know that in her final glimpse, she is not alone?

All cows in this barn had been stall-confined until our local guide freed them during secret trips. The exclusion zone spans Futuba, Katsurao, Namie, Kuma, Tomioka, etc, plus segments of Minamisoma. How many more have died like this cow? On weekends, our guide brings hay. He parks far from the exclusion border to journey inside by foot or scooter. He lugs 30 liters of water. It's not enough. One black-white cow is frozen over an empty water trough, her body twisted in agony. A dead bull rots on the ground. No one else has come to the aid of these animals. Since this remote area is only accessible by foot, our reach is severely limited. The local man tells us there is not much life here. The few he sees are skittish. Ten water and cat food bowls are found in one vacated home with open doors. Our guide has never seen the cats. Still, he refills their bowls each time he is here. A white dog is so spooked she bolts before the man can get within one kilometer of her. In this tiny section of exclusion zone, there is scant proof of government-sponsored aid. A stillness hovers. Animal rescue feels like an afterthought.

A HUSKY IS BY THE EXCLUSION ZONE BORDERHe was someone's companion. Friendly and easily coaxed with food. At 60 pounds, the dog weighs less than his normal 75-80 lb. range. We don't know if he was abandoned during evacuations.

DEATH FIELDSKinship Circle's Alex Lane, Jessica Fackelmann and Karen Pauli, with JEARS' Susan Roberts, Selena Hoy and David Irek, meet a local man, Sega san, to search roads and homes in the Yamakiya District of Kawamata – part of Fukushima Prefecture under mandatory radiation evacuation. Thousands of animals are already trapped without food, water or care in Futuba District, closer to the nuclear plant damaged in Japan's 3/11/11 quake-tsunami. When Yamakiya empties under nuclear emergency law (along with Hirono, Kawauchi, Naraha, Iitate and parts Minami Soma and Iwaki City) a sealed 20km zone widens to 30km. Today we retrieve animals from families with nowhere to bring them. The first dog is chained outdoors. Then we collect Chiro, Sr., a friendly brown/white shiba mix, and Mimii, a shiba mix with protruding hip bones and overgrown nails. Sakuro is an underweight white shiba mix. Konpei, a calico cat. Aimu, another calico girl. Pickups are brief, with many to reach before the area is inaccessible. Sega san leads us to a storage shed where Kuro, a traumatized white shiba mix, is tethered. Alex approaches Kuro with treats in hand, to coax a lead around his neck.

Kinship Circle DART TeamCheri Deatsch, Courtney Chandel, Danica Stein, Jackie Emard, Karen Pauli, Amber Holly, Alex Lane, Jessica Fackelmann, Sandra McCormack, Brian Taniyama, Brenda Shoss (Kinship director)

A Husky wanders near the radiation exclusion zone border, (c) Kinship Circle — Animal responders with Kinship Circle – Alex Lane, Brian Taniyama and Jessica Fackelmann (mid photo) – find this abandoned Husky near the radiation exclusion zone border.

Photo © Kinship Circle, Japan Quake 2011

We do not know if this Husky is lost or abandoned in the chaos of mandatory evacuations (c) Kinship Circle, Japan Earthquake 2011

Rescuers face police and barricades when they attempt to retrieve animals stranded in Japan's high-risk radiation areas, (c) Kinship Circle

We find Mimii-chan pretzeled into a corner and discover a teeny puppy latched on to her, copyright Kinship Circle

Fukushima Furkids!

Newborn pups are found latched to Mimii-chan, a dog unknown to be pregnant.

Polar Bear is the litter runt, (c) Kinship Circle

Unknown to be pregnant, rescuers find a teeny pup latched to Mimii-chan, photo: Alex Lane

Mimi, a traumatized rescue, had never lactated or shown a distended belly yet gave birth to 4 pups, (c) Kinship Circle

Alex Lane holds Polar Bear and Magellan, (c) Kinship Circle

Two of Mimi's pups trade love bites, (c) Kinship Circle

Magellan and Tom Tom are two of Mimi's surprise puppies, copyright Kinship Circle

We find Mimii-chan pretzeled into a corner, and discover a teeny puppy latched on to her! Until now, the traumatized dog had never lactated or shown a distended belly.

4 TEENY SURPRISES IN FUKUSHIMAJEARS, Kinship Circle volunteers, and up to 60 animals at times, occupy two rented rooms at Club Lohas Hotel in Inawashiro, Fukushima. Nicknamed Fukushima House, this hotel is run by an animal lover. Among canine boarders is Mimii-chan, a thin mutt who lives for treat time. But this day we find Mimii-chan pretzeled into a corner. Upon further investigation, we discover a teeny puppy latched on to her! Until now, the traumatized dog had never lactated or shown a distended belly. Alex gathers towels, alcohol wipes, scissors and gloves to remove the first pup's dangling umbilical cord. Within seconds, Mimii contracts again. Out pops a boy. Then a wee girl, who needs Alex's help to remove the amniotic sac. With her airways clear, she cries for mama. The placenta follows. Pretty gross. A half hour later, a third brown-faced boy enters the world. At this point, Mimii-chan is frantic to do her business. So we check on other dogs. We return to a fourth little guy, the runt, squealing beneath blankets. We nickname him Magellan, “The Explorer,” because he's so curious.

KINSHIP CIRCLE EXTENDS JAPAN AID“Two disaster phases overlap now,” says Kinship Circle director Brenda Shoss. “We are in emergency sheltering mode for animal earthquake and tsunami victims. But for the radiation part, it's as if someone hit the rewind button on crisis. Each time evacuations empty a district, the area is barricaded under nuclear emergency law. The 20km zone, sealed since the end of April, can be an animal death trap. Many farmed and companion animals were stranded without food, water or care. They die from dehydration faster than starvation.” Since May, Kinship Circle-JEARS teams have rescued/fed animals in Kawamata, and tracked expanding blockades from Hirono, Kawauchi, Naraha, Iitate to parts of Minami Soma and Iwaki City. Japan resident Hoshi Hiroshi and his family have defied police orders to heroically reach starving animals inside the radius around the Fukushima Daiichi reactor. Other locals who ask to remain anonymous (some work with Kinship-JEARS) also risk arrest to save animals in nuclear ghost towns.

KC-DARTAlex Lane, Sister Michael Marie, Cheri Deatsch, Courtney Chandel, Danica Stein, Karen Pauli, Amber Holly, Jessica Fackelmann, Sandra McCormack, Brian Taniyama, Kinship Circle director Brenda Shoss

Mother's Love

An evacuating resident hands us her dog. Samu, a black-white Spaniel mix, is lactating. The woman believes her puppies are dead. Samu, however, is frantic. She paces inside her kennel. So we return to the Kawamata home to look for her pups. While inspecting sheds, we hear quiet murmurs. Something stirs under the floorboards in a shed. Samu suddenly dives under wooden slats. She has found her babies. They cry out for her but are trapped in crawl space where we can't reach them.

We strip metal sheeting from the barn's exterior and tear down part of a mud wall. By now the floor ripples with panicky yelps. Team members kick in plywood and yank up floorboards. We finally pull out one wiggly pup. Her mates are beyond grasp, so we root up more floorboards. Finally, Kinship Circle's Jessica Fackelmann is able to scoop up the rest of Samu's brood. The 3-4 week old lab-spaniels tumble over their relieved mother. We bring the reunited family to Inuwashiro, where Kinship Circle-JEARS shelters and medically aids rescues.

Four new areas – three in northern Ryozenmachi with homes some 50km (31 miles) from the Fukushima plant – have widened the radiation risk zone as recently as 6/11/11. Authorities report hot spots with levels from 20.1 to 20.8 millisieverts per year. Normally, urban residents are exposed to just 3 millisieverts a year. The Haramachi neighborhood in Minamisoma (33km from plant) is the fourth area evacuating. Sister Michael Marie says some residents made arrangements for animals. “We've literally seen no large animals along the 20-30km circumference.” Sister describes one dairy farm that trucked every cow to safe pastures. Still, the land looks lifeless. Uprooted roads are frozen where the quake-tsunami tossed them. Fields lay bare. Conversely, at the 50-km border and beyond, lush rice paddies bloom.

Scenes

Citizens and visitors in Tokyo, Japan rally for the rescue of animals sealed inside police-blocked radiation zones. Though animals risk death from starvation, dehydration, exposure, predator attack and more, we've faced bureaucratic stalls and outright blockades. Kinship Circle and JEARS have implored local/federal officials for permits that allow qualified disaster animal response teams to access vacated towns. We are willing to work with government sanctioned escorts and organizations. In the meantime, we retrieve some animals (as surrenders) via families briefly permitted inside to retrieve belongings. On a regular basis, we navigate borders for animals who wander outside radiation exclusion zones. Kinship Circle also posts public protest campaigns with contact information and sample comments addressed to Japan officials.