Kumamoto academy supports pet-inclusive disaster response
After the July 28 earthquake, 83 people from 48 households stayed beside their dogs, cats and rabbits as veterinarians monitored the animals’ health.
- Following a powerful earthquake, the Kyushu Animal Academy in Kumamoto opened its facility as a shelter for evacuees and their pets.
- The pet-friendly shelter accommodated dozens of households with dogs, cats, and rabbits, providing necessary supplies like food, blankets, and litter.
- This initiative addresses a common problem where pet owners are reluctant to use standard evacuation centers that do not allow animals.
- The response was supported by 17 veterinarians and student volunteers who monitored the animals' health.
- The academy's support is part of a formal agreement with the Kumamoto municipal government, established after a similar response to an earthquake 10 years prior.
Kyushu Animal Academy in the southwestern Japanese city of Kumamoto set aside part of its premises for evacuees and their animals after the powerful July 28 earthquake, opening the shelter before the day ended.
The earthquake struck Kumamoto Prefecture and reached a maximum reading of 7, the highest level on Japan’s seismic intensity scale.
By Sunday, the facility had accommodated 83 people from 48 households alongside dogs, cats and rabbits.
As the number of evacuees declined, the school stopped admitting new users.
Those who used the service expressed gratitude, while the arrangement also addressed a difficulty that can deter pet owners from entering evacuation centres: concerns about animal noise and odour.
Hironori Honda, 61, who lives in the prefectural capital, went to the academy with his wife and their 13-year-old cat, Mikan, on the night of the quake.
Mikan was showing signs of dehydration on arrival but recovered after resting there.
Broken furniture was among the reasons the family could not remain at home, while the shelter had cat litter and blankets available.
“We were so relieved because we were able to evacuate together,” Honda said.
Tomoko Takaoka, 30, came from nearby Uki with two small dogs aged seven and eight.
She had been staying in her car when social media alerted her to the shelter, where dog treats were provided.
“There isn’t a shelter like this around my house, so it helped us,” she said.
The academy first created an evacuation area for people accompanied by pets after a powerful earthquake struck Kumamoto Prefecture 10 years earlier.
It later signed an agreement with the Kumamoto municipal government in 2021 covering shelter operations.
For the latest response, 17 veterinarians worked in rotation to check for changes in the animals’ health.
Students also joined the operation as volunteers.
Ryunosuke Tokuda, head of the school, highlighted the risk of heatstroke to animals during summer disasters.
“Pets are members of families,” he said.
[Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]
