The situation grows more desperate by the day, as animals left alone in the no-go area around the Fukushima nuclear power plant, continue to die in droves.

While farmers are working anxiously to try to make arrangements to move their animals to a safe area, they are now hampered by the extension of the no-go area, and strict restrictions on access, with nobody but authorised personnel permitted to enter the area. As a result, the animals are dying – with no food or water available, they are slowly starving to death.

On 24 April the Fukushima government decided to euthanize farm animals who were severely ill, injured or in distress within a 20 km (12 mile) radius (the no-go zone) of the power plant, and planned to start disposing of animals by permission of their owners on 26 April.

Without access to the area, volunteers and owners cannot recover the thousands of animals still healthy.

Animals Asia is supporting local rescue groups in their appeal to the Japanese authorities to allow willing volunteers into the area to carry out rescue and removal of these animals. Some 30,000 pigs, 630,000 chickens, 2,500 beef cattle, 870 dairy cattle and significantly more animals are still at risk and need help urgently.

What you can do
Donate: Please send you donations directly to Japan Earthquake Animal Rescue and Support (JEARS). This is a coalition formed by Japan animal welfare groups in response to the earthquake, to co-ordinate rescue efforts and direct assistance. More information is available on their Facebook page.

Write a letter: Please write to the relevant Japanese authorities to request they allow willing volunteers – veterinarians, farmers, animal welfare groups – into the no-go area now to do what they can to help these hundreds of thousands of animals.

Please address your letters to the following:
Nuclear and Industrial Safety Agency
Kasumigaseki 1-3-1, Chiyoda-ku Tokyo, Japan 100-8986
Director-General TERASAKA, Nobuaki ?Mr.)
Fax: +81-3-3580-5971

Governor of the Prefecture of Fukushima - Mr. Yuhei Sato 2-16 Sugitsuma-cho, Fukushima City 960-8670, Japan.
Fax: +81-024-521-7901

Naoto KAN - Prime Minister of Japan
Email: https://www.kantei.go.jp/foreign/forms/comment_ssl.html

Michihiko KANNO - Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries
Email: https://www.contact.maff.go.jp/maff/form/114e.html

Sign a petition: Urge the Japanese government to capture and relocate as many healthy farm animals as possible: . Please save Fukushima farm animals.