The Man Who Lives Alone In A Radioactive Town To Care For The Abandoned Animals

Wed, 03/25/2015 - 13:10

United Kingdom

In 2011, Fukushima, Japan was evacuated due to a radioactive meltdown of a nuclear plant caused by an earthquake and tsunami. Matsumura, who is a former construction worker, built and repaired areas for the animals to reside in safely. He spends his days exploring his deserted town, feeding and caring for the animals with money donated by supporters.

Around 30,000 people fled the zone, but most of the animals were left behind. A farmer named Naoto Matsumura returned to take care of them.

“I had no choice but to stay,” Naoto Matsumura said. “I couldn’t leave the animals behind.”

Matsumura says he initially evacuated with his family, but it was so difficult to find refuge he decided to return. It was then that he realized how many animals were left behind and needed help.

He found that thousands of animals had died from being left in their barns or chained up without food or water.

Matsumura, who is a former construction worker, built and repaired areas for the animals to reside in safely. He spends his days exploring his deserted town, feeding and caring for the animals with money donated by supporters.

Matsumura mostly remains in the exclusion zone, but he often gives speeches and press conferences in outside cities to spread awareness about how his town has suffered, and gather support for his animals.

“We were told that evacuating poses a bigger risk than the radiation,” Matsumura said. “Looking back I think the mayor committed a terrible mistake here.”

Naoto isn’t a normal person, of course. He initially fled south with his parents during the nuclear disaster, but he ended up leaving them in Iwaki and returning to Tomioka. His reason for doing so wasn’t a sentimental love for home or a middle-aged man’s refusal to change, however. It was simple: he couldn’t abandon the animals on his family farm.

The government issued him a warning to leave the exclusion zone, but Matsumura has remained there for over four years without wavering. He insists that the animals are healthy and happy, thanks to him, and have no reason to be killed. “Why slaughter them if not for human consumption?” He asked. “To me animals and people are equal.”