Whilst recently on the ground in Japan, WSPA vet Dr. Damian Woodberry met an inspiring local veterinarian, Dr. Yuzou Taguchi owner of the Green Animal Hospital in the devastated prefecture of Iwate – the sort of person who has made all the difference to animals following the earthquake and tsunami of March 11th.
From the very first day of the disaster, Dr Taguchi has been rescuing, sheltering and treating animals. He stopped his business and started using his clinic as a shelter and treatment centre, whilst operating mobile clinics in the evacuation centres in Iwate, where many owners are still keeping their pets in their cars. When Dr. Woodberry met him at the end of April, Dr. Taguchi had treated 167 animals free of charge and had sheltered 52 dogs, 29 cats and 5 birds. At the time, he was still caring for 13 dogs and 15 cats.
The veterinarian passed us his diary from the first 10 days following the tsunami and earthquake, and, in the coming days, we are posing the entries, chronicling the aftermath of this devastating disaster through the personal experience of this local veterinarian.
Day 12: March 22, 2011
“I received a call in the morning. The newspaper article with the photo of me treating the rescued dog was seen by the owner of the dog. The old lady who was the dogs owner came to the clinic right away. It was a tearful reunion. The two were so very happy to see each other alive and well. The dog is energetic and doing much better. I am so happy to see this. The lady told me that she ran away with the dog but somehow they got separated. She had lost everything and yet she looked so happy.
This is just one small incident and may seem insignificant when compared to the great losses that many people have suffered. But I cannot help but feel ‘healed’ by the tearful reunion between dog and owner. I called the newspaper reporter to thank him for running the article.
A friend who I had not been able to contact from Yamada came over to tell me that he had survived! He and his cat had hung on to a piece of driftwood after the tsunami when a group of people who were on sturdier ground pulled him and his cat to safety. I cried outright to see him safe and sound. He was on his way to go to live temporarily with some relatives and asked if I could keep his cat for a little while. He will no doubt find a new life somewhere sometime and it will, I am sure, be with his cat.
So many people have died. I am but one person trying to do as much as is possible. I cannot help everyone but I will continue to try and help those whom I can reach.These last days have seemed like a lifetime but our efforts will continue.”
Day 11: March 21, 2011
"I was able to get more gas early in the morning. What a relief to know that we could do our rounds once again. We found a dog roaming the streets. He seemed to be very weak and we took him in. A newspaper reporter came to our clinic while I was treating the dog and he took some photos.
In the afternoon, two members of MAP Friends joined our team of two vets and the four of us began to do our rounds of the refugee centres once again. We distributed pet food and left fliers to let people know of where to turn for help. We ran into an owner keeping her cat in the car. The cat was not doing so well, with hypothermia and renal dysfunction. The cold, the stress and the lack of an appropriate litter box were causing the damage. Ｉ offered to take the cat in temporarily. Today we took in 14 dogs and 9 cats.”
Day 10: March 20, 2011
“I had to line up to get more gas. There were hoards of people wanting to buy gas too. I cannot deliver anything if there is no gas. Today is Sunday so the staff go home after they take care of the animals we are looking after.
In the afternoon, a colleague arrives with a car load of pet food and crates. We started to make our way to the various refugee centers to deliver the supplies. There was so much debris everywhere we looked. There must be hundreds of lives still lying under all the wreckage. The family of a friend is still missing, such nice people. It makes me want to weep again.
At one of the centres, I meet a client, Mr T. His Chihuahua had a congenital heart disorder that we were able to operate on in our hospital. Mr. T loved this dog. He told us that he was unable to save his dog, Maple. I told him that Maple was probably very happy to see that his master had survived the disaster.
It was late when we were finally able to get back to the hospital. The local diner had resumed their business and we were able to have a hot meal for the first time in many days. Dr. M, who had made the rounds with me, said that he would stay around and help for a few days. Because of the lack of fuel, I was able to offer him only a cold bedroom."
Day 09: March 19, 2011
At 6am, the line of cars waiting for the gas station to open had already reached my clinic, far down the street. I was worried about the dog leaving as his breathing had not quite recovered, but the owner wished to take him home. The dog was very old and the owner wished for him to pass away in his own home. I heard later that the dog died in the car before getting home.
I visited the local animal control centre and found out that they had taken in 4 dogs. TV reporters came to interview me. I tried to make them understand the various issues faced by the owners, for example, that they couldn’t bring animals into the refugee centres and wanted to move in with relatives but were hesitant about taking their animals.
No paying clients came in for routine veterinary care, but that was to be expected. So many people had lost virtually everything. The prefectural vet association notified us that more supplies were about to arrive. This was truly a godsend.”
Day 08: March 18, 2011
“A week has passed since the tsunami. The weather outside is still very cold. It must be hard on those people who are still spending their days in public spaces and auditoriums. Though we start early in the morning, it takes us until 10am to finish attending to the animals.
I delivered some water to an old lady. She told me another senior friend had been hospitalised for hypothermia. The weather, the loss, everything is tough, especially for our senior citizens. I visited one elementary school and one junior high school, both designated as official refugee centres. There were about 350 people in these centres and I saw some pet owners sleeping with their dogs inside their cars. I took the time to explain to pet owners where to go if they needed help, and also left some pet food and fliers.
On my way back through the streets of town, still littered with every imaginable household item, I met a shop owner who I have known for years. He grabbed my shoulders and wept, said he had lost virtually everything. I wanted to sit there and cry with him.
Today our hospital took in 18 dogs and 11 cats. The other vet hospitals are all the same, bursting at the seams. At 6pm, an emergency case was brought in. An owner had driven from Yamada with an old dog. He was almost out of gas and could go back home and return to pick up the dog the next day. He told me he was prepared to spend the night in his vehicle and wait for his dog to recover. Sleeping in the car with the engine off in this weather would surely freeze the poor man to death. So, I offered him a sleeping bag on the floor of our clinic next to his dog.
Day 07: March 17, 2011
I am tired, fatigued.
There is no more pet food on the shelves in the few stores that are open. People have come to the clinic in the hope of getting some but our supplies are low as well. We need a new shipment, but help is yet to come.
Taking care of all the animals we have taken in is hard on the staff as well. They are taking turns walking the dogs. A good samaritan brought in a small chihuahua found roaming the streets. This person only wants a check up as she is ready to take in the little dog in her own home until the owner shows up. Such people are a blessing to the staff already stressed under the load. My cell phone is finally working and I am able to talk to the vet association as well as place orders for medical supplies with the companies.
Returning to my staff, I see 2 new cats and 2 new dogs that we have taken in. I am worried because I have not been able to reach any of the members of our small local humane association, MAP Friends. They have been very helpful in dog rescue work and their newsletter is full of good information about animals in our locality. I do not want to hear any more “bad news” about friends and their families…..”
Day 06: March 16, 2011
“It is all white outside this morning. It snowed through the night. The staff and I decided to deliver food for pet owners alongside the animal supplies. We set out to make sandwiches with the supplies I had stocked in my pantry. The town we visited today was also flattened by the tsunami. All we could see along the muddy road was a building that used to be a hotel and another concrete structure. We struggled through the mud and finally were able to reach the rescue center where we dropped off pet food, sandwiches, and apples.
We were able to talk to the town administrators to let them know that the animal hospitals in the area were lending a hand to animal rescuers and to give them the appropriate information about who to contact if owners needed a helping hand. Though the roads were muddy and difficult to maneuver, the work to clear the debris is progressing at an unbelievable rate.
In the evening back at the clinic, a person notified us of a house where the owner had died leaving 2 chihuahuas, 2 parrots, and 2 budgies in an upstairs room. I sent out a member of the clinic staff to pick up these animals and to bring them back to the clinic. Today the clinic took in 12 dogs, 9cats, 2 parrots and 2 budgies.
Day 05: March 15, 2011
“The morning started with several deliveries of water. My family notified me that the Iwate Prefectural Veterinary Association was ready to send large lots of supplies to the practitioners in the field. The members of the association would be helping with the transport. A local transport company had also volunteered to bring in some goods. I decided to do a brief survey of the coastal area near my clinic before the arrival of the supplies.
I visited an elementary school serving as a supply center and left some pet food and fliers. The clinic had begun to get an influx of owners bringing in their animals for temporary care. Many of these owners were grateful and even tearful that we would care for their animals for as long as necessary. Most owners left with these words; “Thank you so very much for taking in our family. We will be back. We will definitely be back for our loved one when we are able to do so”.
One neighbor brought a dog belonging to an old couple who had drowned in their car. They were just going out to shop when the tsunami hit them on the road. This person pleaded with us to house the dog temporarily while they prepared to take him in as their own dog. The families of all the animals being brought in had a story to tell.... a dead sister, a lost grandparent, a husband carried away by the waters. The stories were all heartbreaking.
At 3pm the vet association arrived with their supplies, pet food, crates, toilet sheets,treats…the private transport company that had volunteered even brought us some food for humans! They unloaded at two different vet clinics in the city of Miyako. Other trucks were also sent out to various other central locations in the disaster area. We reloaded some supplies including the ‘human food’ and set out for the rescue centres.
We were able to go only to the temporary town hall in the worst hit area, Yamada. The roads had not been reopened. It would be hard to get the necessary supplies into all the smaller rescue centres set up along the coast.
Ordinarily during this season, we vets would be travelling this road to reach local facilities designated as rabies vaccination centers to inoculate pet dogs according to the Rabies Prevention Law which makes it mandatory for all dogs to be vaccinated for the disease. But on this day, no one is even thinking about this.”
Day 04: March 14, 2011
Opened the clinic at 8 AM. Since gas could not be wasted, I biked to the local public health office to inquire about animal control and rescue procedures. The communication lines were not operating fully yet and I decided that for the time being individual veterinary hospitals would need to cater to the needs of their surrounding areas. I was in the middle of this huge disaster, I wanted to help everyone, but needless to say there is only so much an individual can do and my place was to do what I could for the animals and their owners.
I started with some handmade posters put up at various human evacuation centres telling the pet owners where they could go for help. I also started distributing pet food. Everywhere I went on my bicycle I witnessed total devastation. The sushi shop where we had been planning to have a party was covered in dirt. Everything brought tears to my eyes. But I couldn’t let this dull my energy.
My staff and I delivered those handmade posters to as many locations as we could think of. In the evening, I attempted a delivery of water and pet food to a senior client who was living by herself. The old lady has difficulty walking and would certainly be in need of supplies. The road to her house was blocked by mounds of debris, but I was told of a back route up the hill and succeeded in getting to her house with supplies. For the first time in days I felt good about seeing a client safe and smiling.”
Day 03: March 13, 2011
“As soon as we got up in the morning, my family and I busied ourselves gathering supplies that would surely be needed in the days to come. We looked into our inventory, visited all the large retailers in the area that were still operating and bought as much as we could. We gathered loads of bottled water, crates, cages, gas, blankets, food, batteries, and candles. When we finished shuttling all the supplies to our vet clinic it was close to evening. Amazingly the power and water supply was back to normal, miraculous work by the local public works department!
Day 02: March 12, 2011
“The morning started with all of us aghast at the fact that the toilets would not flush. The water system was functional yesterday and we had not thought ahead. But more than anything else I needed to get my young nursing students back to their families. I decided to drive them as far as I could. As we neared the coast I was once again amazed at what had really occurred. Large houses sitting in the middle of the road, shops and offices gutted to their bare bones, battered cars and boats alike lying everywhere. This is what hell must look like.
I could not drive to where the students lived but was able to find several acquaintances and relations with whom I could leave them safe and sound. That done, I headed home. My staff were all able to assemble that morning and I was glad to hear that their families were all safe. Water was still a big problem. We went down to a nearby rivulet but the water was too muddy and full of debris to be of any use. We decided to try out the public water works station nearby. My staff and I picked up several buckets and walked to the station to find that there was a tank lorry there distributing water to those in need. Thank god for that …we were finally able to flush our toilets! How little we appreciate the water that washes away our waste every day. These thoughts come to us only in times of dire need.
I have a house in the inner mountain area where most of my family members are staying. I am worried about my family but their area is much safer, they must be more worried about me as my phone is not working yet. But it is imperative that I stay in this coastal town to help the animals in the disaster area.
I drove into the mountains to make sure my family was safe with plans to come right back to the clinic. Unfortunately there was now a shortage of gas. The gas stations were putting a limit on how much each customer could buy. I visited 3 stations and was able to buy 10 litres of gas at each of them. Only then was I able to drive back to my practice.”
Day 01: March 11, 2011
“a day I will never forget…
The earthquake hit at 2:46 in the afternoon. I was at the clinic (located in the coastal town of Miyako) with our staff and everyone including myself fell into a panic and could not think of what to do immediately after the quake. However, we were immediately warned of an impending tsunami.
The clinic itself being located quite a ways from the coastline, we decided to stay put. Only later did we find boats washed ashore, grounded near where we were, and realized what a close call it had been for us, too. We could not use the phones, the lights were out and the ground still shook every so often.
Night fell and we were still at a loss as to what to do next. I had several animal nursing students on an internship at our clinic and was worried about how to get them back to their families. Outside it was getting dark, but a supermarket nearby was able to set up a stall in their parking lot to sell some essential such as flashlights, batteries, soft drinks and bread. The locals all lined up inside the pitch dark parking lot to buy supplies, myself included.
I spent the night at the clinic in the dark with a few flashlights, sharing a dinner of bread and juice with my nursing students. We still felt tremors and it was very, very cold.”
