JEARS, Lending a hand.

DAY ONE

I went to Niigata to go and help with JEARS, the animal rescue team set up to help those animals suffering after the tragedies of 3/11.

Today, I get to meet the JEARS team and work through the logistics of the day.

Reports come in regularly of cats and dogs found, missing or even floating on debris. JEARS tries to respond to all of these.

The tragedies that Japan has suffered are unbelievable and so many people have been affected in so many ways. Lots of these people have pets too. What happens to them at times like these?

That's where JEARS comes into play. JEARS is the product of three animal rescue groups, joining together to offer extra help for the animals affected by the events of March 11th and its consequences.

An earthquake is enough to scare a creature for life, (heaven knows our little French Bulldog is very on edge when anything moves these days) let alone witness a tsunami. The animals emerging from these disasters come in all shapes and sizes and temperaments.

Each animal has its own story and you can read about some of the rescues on the page

www.jears.org

The best plan of action for my first day with the organisation was to head to Animal Friends to load the truck with food, so we were prepared for the next day.

Animal Friends is based in Niigata. they have a shelter there, housing many of the rescue creatures. The other two organisations (Japan Cat Network and Heart Tokushima) also house some of the rescue animals.

I took a quick video of the area, which is beautiful; the surroundings are perfect for the animals and they are all so happy to be looked after there.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=kiHpTRmUvNc

The dogs are taken out regularly for walks and I was lucky enough to walk this little lady.

She had been found by the side of the road and it was only after a bit of food that she was able to get up to walk with the JEARS team.

She is so docile and sweet. I really hope her owners find her or she can find a lovely home.

The animals looked happy and it was so lovely to see them all.

So, our mission was to get food!

And, that we did. We have all sorts of food, wet food, dry food, tinned food, thank you to all those who have donated!! And of course we have snacks too. Chuck cleaned the back of his truck to prepare it for the load.

With this food, we would be able to feed the animals at evacuation centres, give to those who are unable to buy supplies in local stores and, of course, feed the animals we might find on the streets.

We were ready for the day ahead. Being based in Niigata means that the road trips to the affected areas are long, very long. They stretch across to the other side of the country, so we have to be up early each time, and brace ourselves for a long day.

DAY TWO

This is my first trip out with the team, and I would like to point out, that as I talk about the length of the day in the car, please just think about the members of Kinship circle and JEARS,

who, have been hard at work since March 11th. We are entering our fourth week since the quake, so that is a hell of a lot of kilometres covered by car.

We had 3 teams out on Saturday. One car headed up to Minami Sanriku and Rikuzentaka to deliver food, especially for a bunny rabbit! and to rescue a cat! One lady thankfully survived the tsunami with her 3 cats, but, in the evacuation centre, her pets were not allowed. She had been keeping her cats in her car until she found out about us! We were able to take two of the cats earlier in the week and today, they were one step closer to being reunited. This car (Chuck's truck) was starting in Niigata, heading up to Iwate and then back down the coast to evacuation centres in Fukushima. It was going to be a long day for them.

Another car went out following up on reports of animals wandering the streets, simply abandoned in the sheer haste to leave their town, or told that their pets could not travel with them, they knew nothing better than to untie their chains and hope that they would go and find food themselves. I believe they picked up two dogs and one cat from this journey. Well done! Sadly, I don't have the pictures, but some of the rescues are blogged on www.jears.org and www.kinshipcircle.org/disasters/japan_quake/notes.html

Our car headed out to scan districts for any signs of life and to also speak to members of the public, to make them aware of what we are doing. It is important that people know who to call and the methods of help available.

It took us a good four or five hours to drive to Fukushima. There were many pit stops, adjustments to the plans and a little getting lost along the way too.

We were armed with a Geiger counter, and each had a mask, just for extra protection.

It was difficult to navigate the whole time as various roads were closed because they led to the exclusion zone or they were damaged after the quake.

We spoke to a photographer, who informed us of animals within the zone simply roaming aimlessly. he was a kind soul, and gave them some bread that he had carried with him, but these animals were still there, in need of shelter and in need of food.

And, a lovely couple we met, who owned their own beautiful Labrador, Ruka told us they they had seen a dog dead on the road just the other day and that they had heard of more near the zone. Such were the tales of sadness, being reported to us all daily. We bear them in mind for the next day's planning. Today, we couldn't go and we had to scan the coast and inland for any signs of animal life.

What we witness along the way, is really hard to describe. Of course, I have seen the reports, the videos, the pictures, but still, to see it in real life just breaks my heart even more.

I blogged it all on the long journey back.You can read about that here

http://leonorasophie-everyday.blogspot.co.uk/2011/04/searching-for-animals.html

There is also a selection of pictures here -

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www.youtube.com/watch?v=zvgvZOZZ8WM

It is still hard to fathom, how the apparently beautiful, deceptively calm waters in the distance could cause all that damage.

We passed so much debris, so many clothes scattered along muddy rice fields, so many smashed up cars, that finding an animal would have been a miracle, but we were still hopeful.

Along one road, we heard barking, so we backed

up to find a way off the main road and down through

to where the sound was coming from.

We saw 2 dogs chained up outside, but they were the lucky ones. Their owners were just returning from a food shopping trip. We chatted for a while and then offered them some food.

They were very grateful, it is really hard to come by supplies, especially in rural areas at this time.

We searched and we searched. All that is there is just rubble.

Here is a small clip to give you an idea of the road by the coast.

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www.youtube.com/watch?v=53zYgpz_S5s

Our search was fruitless, but having seen the fields of debris, it is hardly surprising. It was already time to journey back across the country.

Once again, let me remind you, that, at present, our teams are doing this on a daily basis....phew.

Reaching the hotel certainly did not mean it was goodnight after the day's hefty road trip, oh no.

Car number one were due back with the cat from Iwate!! Car number two were still in Fukushima making sure the dogs and cat would make it safe back to the shelter in Niigata.

The cat from Iwate made it back to the hotel! He miaowed a lot, but eventually settled....in the sink of volunteer Jennifer's bathroom! Thank you Jennifer! He had been in the carrier the whole journey back, sitting on Jennifer's lap. He did a few pees there too, so they both came to the hotel very stinky indeed!!

DAY THREE

The challenges for today varied.

One team headed to Fukushima again following even more reports of stray animals roaming the streets. We loaded up 2 cars full of food in order to hand out at the evacuation centres from where there have been reports of none.

(Pic - Adrienne from Kinship circle)

The team that day rescued a tired-looking, hungry dog and brought it back to the shelter.

My challenge was slightly different.

I was to help Jennifer get Shun Kun, the pee-ridden cat back to Animal friends, a mission much easier said than done!

Have you ever tried to smuggle a cat out of a hotel?

I have smuggled a hamster into a few hotels, but that is a very different story!!

Shun kun was miaowing the whole way.

We decided to take the stairs down a level to the 10th floor and then take the elevator, but would you believe it...on every floor there were cleaners, and by the time we got to floors 3,2,1,B1 & B2 , all the doors were locked!! So, back we were up to 4 again, although, someone was there, so I grabbed the carrier off Jennifer and ran up to 5th and across the corridor. Of course, he miaowed just as we went past one of the workers, but we made it to the elevator out of breath! PHEW!!

Shun kun was to be reunited with his two friends at the shelter, and his owner as soon as she is relocated. God bless her and good luck to her.

I am now going to stay and help with JEARS for the duration. We have endless plans to rescue, endless plans to help more needy creatures. We can only do this with your help too. Thank you so much for your continued support.

Much love to all the animals. XXX

((more photos here - https://picasaweb.google.com/leonorasophie/1820110404JearsNiigata#))