Shelter for Evacuees with Pets Set Up Soon after Kumamoto Quake

Kumamoto, Aug. 5 (Jiji Press)--A shelter accepting evacuees and their pets together was set up at a veterinarian school in the city of Kumamoto, southwestern Japan, immediately after last week's massive earthquake.

Kyushu Animal Academy made part of its facility available for evacuation to those affected by the July 28 disaster, which hit Kumamoto Prefecture and logged up to 7, the highest level on Japan's seismic intensity scale. The shelter was opened within the day.

People expressed gratitude to the school while the shelter already stopped accepting users due to the falling number of evacuees. In times of disaster, many people tend to give up on moving to shelters with their pets because of the animals' noise and smell.

The school opened an evacuation area for people with pets for the first time after a powerful earthquake hit the prefecture 10 years ago. It concluded an agreement with the Kumamoto city government on shelter operations in 2021.

This time, 17 veterinarians took turns to respond to any changes in pets' health conditions. Students of the school also participated in the activities on a voluntary basis.

[Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]