Japan Earthquake Animal Rescue and Support

Amazon wishlists to support our shelters

Administrator — Tue, 08 Nov 2011 15:51:16 +0000

To support our continued efforts, please consider purchasing items from the following Amazon wishlists to be sent directly to the programs who need them most;

Animal Friends Niigata;

http://amzn.to/AFN__Wishlist

HEART-Tokushima;

http://www.amazon.co.jp/registry/wishlist/1UFXLEF3OU60B

Japan Cat Network and JCN Inawashiro Center (in Fukushima);

http://amzn.to/uaBW4t

thank you!

Chickens! Chickens!

Administrator — Thu, 01 Sep 2011 03:25:43 +0000

Selena and her fellow JEARS volunteers have continued feeding and checking on the chickens. Read all about it at Selena’s blog!

http://expiring.blogspot.com/2011/08/chicken-wednesdays.html

(8/31/11)

A Word on Our Co-Founders

Administrator — Mon, 20 Jun 2011 03:54:34 +0000

Pausing for a group photo

This week, we thought we’d introduce you to our co-founders. The JEARS Coalition was formed by the dedicated owners of three shelters across Japan: David Wybenga and Susan Roberts of Japan Cat Network in Shiga, Susan Mercer of HEART Tokushima, and Isabella Gallaon-Aoki of Animal Friends Niigata. Read on to learn their stories.

David Wybenga and Susan Roberts (Japan Cat Network)

David moved to Japan about seventeen years ago, after earning an MSW (Masters in Social Work) from Western Michigan University. He was on a visit to Omihachiman, the sister city of Grand Rapids, Michigan, and decided to stay. He now teaches English for the Japan Center for Michigan Universities and the YMCA of Omihachiman and Kusatsu in Shiga-ken.

David and his wife, Susan, were walking in Shiga prefecture when they found some abandoned puppies. They took the puppies in and found that there was a need for provisions for abandoned animals. They started finding abandoned cats as well, and started Japan Cat Network in 2000.

JCN’s motto is “Helping People Help Cats”. It is a no-kill shelter focused on spay/neuter education, Trap-Neuter and Release (of feral cats) and information of the inquiring public. At Japan Cat Network, they re-home an average of 80 cats per year.

When the earthquake hit on March 11, David contacted his highly esteemed colleagues Isabella Gallaon-Aoki of Animal Friends Niigata and Susan Mercer of HEART-Tokushima to coordinate a more efficient disaster response. He created a Facebook page for the coalition in the morning before work, and returned home to find hundreds of followers—and thus JEARS was born. Since then David, Susan, and the volunteers at JCN have spent many a sleepless night nursing rescued animals’ injuries and illnesses and many a frantic day venturing into the disaster area to feed hungry livestock and recover lost pets.

Isabella Gallaon-Aoki (Animal Friends Niigata)

Completing a lifelong world tour that started in Italy, took her through England at age eight and brought her to Tokyo for language study in 1986, Isabella has settled in Niigata, where she lives with her husband, two daughters, and scores of critters. As an animal lover, she was struck early on by the scope for improvement in conditions for lost animals in Japan. After spending years working with existing Japanese animal care groups, she decided to branch off with a unique combination of no-kill shelter and Animal Sanctuary, with an emphasis on every animal’s right to life. Rather than reserving spots exclusively for easily adoptable animals, Animal Friends Niigata provides a refuge to animals of all ages, regardless of health and behavioral problems.

With the influx of new Friends at AFN since the earthquake and tsunami, the “Dog, Cat and Others” roster has nearly doubled. Isabella had homed roughly four hundred animals and was housing one hundred and twenty at the time of the disaster. Since then, Isabella and her team have made multiple forays into the heart of the area, facing the devastation with water, gas, food, and supplies. They search for families separated from their pets and provide food, medical attention, and love for their stranded animals. On her tours of the evacuation centers, Isabella is also sure to notify local authorities that they can contact her when the need for more food and medicines arises. She has not forgotten the profound terror and confusion of the lost animals she saw wandering in the streets after the tsunami, or the sense of relief when she can bring food to a pet whose family has begged her frantically on the phone to help their animals.

Susan Mercer (HEART Tokushima)

Susan hails from St. John in Newfoundland. Like so many people settled in Japan, she arrived to teach English more than ten years ago and never left. During her time in Tokushima, Susan noticed that dogs and cats are viewed as part of the natural scenery in Japan—there is a pervasive attitude that they can survive on the streets. In a relatively rural city on the remote island of Shikoku such as Tokushima, there are packs of homeless dogs in addition to the feral cat colonies.

Susan and her husband, whom she met in Japan, began taking abandoned pets into their home. As the numbers grew, Susan saw the need to start a group in Tokushima. Five years ago, she founded HEART Tokushima with other concerned citizens. She now teaches a mere ten hours a week and spends the rest of her time running HEART. They have rescued over four hundred animals and re-homed more than three hundred, through their network of volunteer foster and adoptive homes. That’s right—until just a few weeks ago, HEART did all this without a shelter!

HEART is committed to affecting change for animal welfare in Tokushima. They meet regularly with a panel of veterinarians and local officials to discuss the reduction of animal euthanasia and the de-stigmatization of abandoned animals, who are usually neglected in favor of their designer pedigree counterparts.

Neither Susan nor her husband takes salary from HEART, and in these economic conditions, most of Susan’s teaching salary goes to running the rescue; however, they have dedicated themselves to this work until they can change the dismal fate of abandoned animals in Tokushima as it stands. (SS 6/16/11)

The Vet with Jets and His Friends in Radioactive Places

Administrator — Sun, 05 Jun 2011 08:35:03 +0000

Many of you probably remember the remarkable English veterinarian Dr. Stuart Easby, who traveled to Japan to help with the animal rescue efforts this April. Dr Easby is fondly known as the “Dial-a-Vet” for the service-oriented Southside Radio at Southside Hospital in Middleborough, England, and was able to make the trip to Japan with their support. Dr Easby and the issues of animal rescue in Japan were the subjects of an interview(¹⁾ with JEARS co-founder David Wybenga on the station’s show, The Midweek Drive Morning Edition. To listen, click here: http://southsidebroadcasting.podbean.com/2011/05/14/

David recounts that Dr. Easby was a great pleasure to work with; he was very friendly with the various vets he met during his visit to JEARS. He also offered very insightful advice on the treatment of animals at JCN and the shelter in the zone. David ended up wishing Dr. Easby didn’t have to return to England as soon as he did! Our thanks go out once again for the visit.

During the interview, they also discussed the significant stress that pet and livestock owners are under during this calamity. Promised re-entry to the exclusion zone within a week at the time of evacuation, they only left the appropriate amount of food and water for their animals. As the weeks have passed with no re-entry, their mounting anxiety for their animals has become palpable to the JEARS teams. Both Dr. Easby and David cite starvation and dehydration as the biggest threats to the animals in the zone. Meanwhile, the animals, faced with catastrophe, lonely without their families, and completely removed from their daily routines, are mired in mental and emotional turmoil.

Bearing this in mind, our volunteers rush tirelessly from site to site, recovering animals, staying up nights to nurse the ill among the hosts of new rescues that come in. Our off-site volunteers spend long hours monitoring the web for tips and information to keep the operation running and maintain contact with you, the public. Let us all hope that loss of life and undue suffering can be curtailed as much as possible in the 20-km zone. (SS)

“JEARS in Japan”: Interview by Alex Lewcuk and Sara Bullimore on The Midweek Morning Drive, Southside Broadcasting Radio, Thursday, May 12, 2011. http://southsidebroadcasting.podbean.com/2011/05/14/

Some of our Less Common Rescues

Administrator — Wed, 25 May 2011 06:13:40 +0000

While the animal world is full of engaging creatures full of spunk and character, we tend to associate the terms “pet” and “domesticated animal” with dogs and cats. Bearing this in mind, let me bring back to the surface some of the less typical animals we’ve been lucky enough to see since the disaster. In the name of all the underrepresented animals out there, let us not forget!

But how could we do so? The self-assured proactiveness of a hen like Koko-chan, who boldly insinuated herself into the rescue of an evacuees’ dogs and confidently makes her needs clear when she wants a treat, is meant neither to be ignored nor forgotten. The indiscriminate friendliness of Charlotte the pig, who comfortably makes her rounds through Animal Garden, stopping to greet friends–human and lagomorph (bunny) alike–is the trait of a being who belongs in the hearts of those around her, and very well deserves her fair share of bananas from the nice lady. And let’s talk about the bunny! Let us first establish acknowledgement of his unbearable cuteness. If indeed Tsubasa the Bunny were to get any cuter, it would be a hazard to all staff at Animal Garden. That being said…Tsubasa’s story is also important for another reason; it

brings to light the love and dedication of his human who, like so many evacuees, struggled daily to make it back home with food and water for his pets until he could find help for them. We see so many instances of people’s love for their pets–ranging from elderly citizens refusing to evacuate without them, to desperate citizens posting notes requesting help for animals in the zone, to callers waiting with baited breath to hear what news we can bring them about the pets they asked us to rescue. We have seen people’s solicitude–not just for their own pets, but for animals in general, in the wake of this disaster. For us, this is both a reaffirmation of the good in humanity and an opportunity to ease the incredible stress and devastation of the disaster by finding missing family members.

Pippi and Sakichi’s humans were one such nervous family–so nervous that they couldn’t bear to go out with the team, fearing the worst. Looking at these two sweet little things now, happily and casually being themselves for the camera, you’d think they knew how much their humans love them, and enjoyed every bit of it. These are bonds that catastrophes will either sever or cement–and we are aiming for the latter. (SS)

Tell the Japanese Government that Trapped Pets in the Exclusion Zone need to be Rescued!

Administrator — Tue, 03 May 2011 03:58:40 +0000

As time ticks by, we all continue to be very concerned about the animals that we know remain inside the 20 kilometer exclusion zone. Animal rescue groups, including JEARS, are working every angle to feed and rescue the animals that their guardians were forced to leave behind.

Now the reality is that many animals have gone for a week without people coming in to feed them. They may starve to death even though there are willing and capable volunteer groups on the ground ready to take them in. We just need access. And time. The situation does not need to be hopeless.

Please help us put International pressure on the Japanese Government to allow access to the exclusion zone.

If you care about the animals in Japan, here’s what you do:

1. Watch and share the video below. Share with as many people and media outlets as possible, even your Facebook friends.

2. Write the Japanese government. Fill out this web form (click here). Consider including some or all of the following points:

The pets in the 20 kilometer zone are loved and wanted by their guardians
They should not be let to starve to death or moved to animal control facilities
JEARS has the facilities to shelter and care for these animals
Let animal rescue groups back into the zone now to be part of the process of getting animals to safety

3. Submit a letter directly to the Prime Minster’s office in Japan. There are multi-step instructions to assist our non-Japanese speaking supporters with the Japanese website. You can find all the information here in ‘Notes’ on our Facebook page (click here).

4. Check out the JEARS Facebook Page. The most up-to-date stories and discussions can be found there. Share the important stories and videos that get posted. http://www.facebook.com/AnimalRescueJapan

Thanks for your attention.

JEARS

Olympic Snowboarder and Recent US Open Champion Kazu Kokubo to Support JEARS

Administrator — Wed, 27 Apr 2011 00:09:32 +0000

Reigning Burton US Open of Snowboarding Champion and two-time Olympian, Kazuhiro (Kazu) Kokubo announced his support for Japan Earthquake Animal Rescue and Support today and urged his fans and the snowboarding community to follow his lead in supporting animal rescue in Japan.

On a day that should have been spent focusing on defending his championship, news from his home country of Japan suddenly changed 22-year-old Kokubo’s priorities as his heart went out to his country and the people of East Japan, only 482 miles from his hometown. “I was speechless, and for the first time since I was a kid, I sat and cried as we watched the news reports,” Kokubo said. “I knew immediately that I wanted to help my country and like so many people, didn’t know how. My main focus was not on winning or the competition itself at that point, but just getting the day over with and being with my wife who was flying to California from Japan.”

After securing his second consecutive US Open title, Kokubo “celebrated” by boarding straight down the center of the half pipe while saying a prayer for Japan. “This win and my final run was my prayer for Japan,” Kokubo said. “To show my support and let everyone watching the event know, that as great as that moment was for me personally, it means nothing next to what so many people are going through.”

Once back at his U.S. residence in California, Kokubo and his wife, Tomoe, decided to support animal rescue as a key element to stabilizing life for the people in Japan. They found Japanese Earthquake Animal Rescue and Support (JEARS) during an online search and were impressed with the group’s mission, lack of political focus and the fact that there was no bureaucracy to wade through. “JEARS is about action first, paperwork later, and that appealed to me,” Kokubo said.

“We are very pleased to welcome Kazu to the JEARS team, and we were inspired by the immediate action he took in finding a cause and wanting to immediately start helping,” states David Wybenga, co-founder of JEARS. “With his celebrity as a phenomenal athlete, unique spirit and determination, Kazu will be a tremendous asset to helping the animals and their owners affected by the disaster in Japan.”

Kokubo will be spending time in the field with JEARS volunteers next month and is also filming two Public Service Announcements that will run in Japan and the United States beginning in May. Kokubo, along with his fans and sponsors, will also be financially supporting local animal rescue, veterinary care and housing and feeding for displaced animals.

Maruko’s Story

Administrator — Sat, 23 Apr 2011 05:37:44 +0000

Maruko is a misunderstood 14-year-old dog who was trapped in the rubble for 11 days after the events of March 11th. She was eventually freed and her owners were contacted, but they had lost everything and could not keep her in the relief shelter in which they were staying. She was surrendered to the city pound, where she was labeled as aggressive and was going to be gassed down. With the help of a dedicated veterinarian, Dr. Takahashi, the volunteers of JEARS and Kinship Circle fought for Maruko’s life, and WON!

Maruko is now in her new temporary home in a shelter connected to JEARS. For full details of her story, please visit the blog of the video’s creator, Kate O’Callaghan. JEARS gratefully thanks Kate for letting us share this video and also Karl Wilcock for filming the footage.

AC360°

Administrator — Wed, 20 Apr 2011 22:59:35 +0000

We would like to thank our friend Anderson Cooper of CNN for highlighting the plight of the animals in Japan on his show AC360°.

In the clip below, Anderson Cooper speaks with JEARS’ Isabella Gallaon-Aoki:

Pippi and Sakichi updates

Administrator — Thu, 07 Apr 2011 03:28:54 +0000

Remember these birds? We were asked by the owners, who are in an evacuation facility in Niigata, to go to their house and see if the birds were alive or not. They were reluctant to accompany us just in cast the worst had happened. Thankfully, they were alive so they were brought back to Animal Friends Niigata. We have now managed to find them a foster home near the centre where the owners are currently located.

Site Updates

Administrator — Sat, 02 Apr 2011 23:22:42 +0000

Hi all, due to increasing traffic and demand, we’re currently in the process of moving the site over to a new hosting provider. With that move, we’ll also be introducing full Japanese language support for both the site content and blog posts, making the site much more accessible for Japanese native readers.

While we expect to see minimal downtime (if any), we apologize in advance for any that may occur.

Thank you so much for your support and positive feedback!

Update: We’re back, and everything should be running smoothly now. Please let us know if you encounter any errors!

Dog Rescue

Administrator — Tue, 29 Mar 2011 05:48:59 +0000

Japan Earthquake Animal Rescue and Support, Kinship Circle and Last Chance for Animals, rescue a dog found on the side of the road severely emaciated and limping badly. He was taken to Animal Friends Niigata No-Kill shelter where he will receive medical care and the love he deserves until he finds a good home.