Urgent appeal: Help the animal victims of the Japan tsunami today

WSPA is on the ground helping thousands of animals affected by the devastating earthquake and tsunami in Japan, and we urgently need your support to continue our vital efforts.

It’s been almost two weeks since one of the largest earthquakes on record hit just off the coast of Japan. The quake, measuring 9.0 on the Richter scale, triggered a tsunami over 30 feet high that surged through the northeastern coast of Japan, decimating whole towns and villages.  

Hundreds of thousands of people, with children and beloved pets in tow, fled to higher ground just in time – sadly, thousands more never made it.

Thousands of animals need your help

We’re estimating that approximately 30,000 companion animals are in need of emergency shelter in affected areas. Many of the region’s veterinary hospitals and animal shelters were destroyed, and countless pets and livestock were abandoned in the exclusion zone around the Fukushima nuclear power station after immediate orders to evacuate.

“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,” says James Sawyer, WSPA Head of Disaster Management.

“Local vets and animal organizations have been doing their best in an incredibly tough situation but we need to act now to make sure they continue to get the support they need to care for these animals.”

What is WSPA doing?

A WSPA Disaster Assessment and Response Team entered Japan just four days after the earthquake and tsunami struck. While government and humanitarian aid groups bring relief to the people affected by this tragedy, WSPA is working alongside them to help the animals.

In collaboration with the Animal Disaster Response Team (ADRT, a coalition of animal organizations including our member society the Japanese Animal Welfare Society), the Japanese government and local experts, we have developed a plan that will support animals in the disaster zone for the next three months.

We need your help to raise $150,000 and put this plan into action to make sure that every animal gets the care they so desperately need.

As part of the disaster plan, WSPA will establish 30 temporary animal shelters near human evacuation centers so that families can continue to visit and help care for their pets. We will use funding to supply essentials such as food,water, cages, bedding, litter and veterinary supplies.

In addition, we will help ADRT support local vets so that they can continue to provide veterinary care and treatment to animals injured in the tsunami.

For the next three months, your support is essential in helping this nation of pet lovers, and their animals, get back on their feet.

Please make a gift to the WSPA Disaster Relief Fund today and help the animals affected by the earthquake and tsunami.

 

To Donate, go to: https://www.wspadonations.org/pages/3655_japan_disaster_appeal_3_11_version_f.cfm