If you can donate, $1, $0.50, $0.25, whatever, please do. It's really easy if you have paypal - just sign in, enter amount, and BAM it's done. 100yen=$1.25USD as of today. I know people are constantly asking for your money. I know. But, they truly need the help. Truly. They are doing serious work. If you don't have the means to donate, please try to spread the word to your friends who are animal lovers or pet guardians. I'm just trying to spread the word. Don't take this as anything else. http://arkbark.net
From an email from ARK (to clarify, they didn't email me to solicit $. They emailed me as an update b/c I've been donating to them, and they understand that when people give them $ they want to see how it's spent and where it's going, what they're doing.. making sure they're not using the $ to go to Disneyland..) :
Update 20th April 2011
Four more dogs in yesterday.
HARLEQUIN female Setter
TRUE BLUE male Beagle
FAIRWAY female Beagle
VANILLA old male Beagle given up by owner
Boys also returned for a break, they have been on the go without a day off for over a week now.
They brought back photos, some very distressing; small dog left in cage which the owner had asked them to pick up, already dead of starvation; others dead on chains, their bodies just skin stretched over bones showing they died of starvation, cats and dogs dead in the road, some hit by rescue vehicles. There are estimated to be 2000 evacuation centres in Fukushima prefecture, some huge gymnasiums, others smaller, like temples or private facilities. Now that the school year has started, evacuees have to move out of schools to other evacuation places. Most pets are not allowed in any of these so people keep them tied to cars or in cars. This will be dangerous as the weather gets warmer.
When talking to evacuees about why they haven't been back to rescue their pets they answer as follows:
*many people have no transport; they were bused to the evacuation centres by the authorities. Even if they have a car, they have no petrol. There is no public transport.
* When they were evacuated, they thought it would only be for a couple of days so they left their pets with enough food and water for that time.
* they are constantly told of the dangers of radiation and prevented from going back home. This is of course a real fear because nobody knows how much radiation is in the air or on the ground.
After the boys rescued animals, they and the animals had to be checked for radiation. To make sure that animals were free of radiation, the boys shampooed and washed any that were especially dirty before sending them to Osaka.
In yesterday's update I said that the period of danger from radiation which prevents people from being able to return home, even though their homes are not damaged, would be 6 - 9 months, this is unlikely. People are now predicting one year or two before it is safe to go back and many places will become uninhabitable for ever.
Total of rescued animals to date: 71 dogs, 15 cats, one bird.
Elizabeth Oliver ARK
Animal Refuge Kansai - ARK
Web Site: http://arkbark.net
How to donate: We have two ways to donate, the first being Paypal, if you follow the link
from the English http://arkbark.net site it will take you to Paypal in English. Another
option would be International Postal Money Order sent to:
595 Noma Ohara, Nose-cho
Toyono-gun, Osaka-fu 563-0131
Japan
Four more dogs in yesterday.
HARLEQUIN female Setter
TRUE BLUE male Beagle
FAIRWAY female Beagle
VANILLA old male Beagle given up by owner
Boys also returned for a break, they have been on the go without a day off for over a week now.
They brought back photos, some very distressing; small dog left in cage which the owner had asked them to pick up, already dead of starvation; others dead on chains, their bodies just skin stretched over bones showing they died of starvation, cats and dogs dead in the road, some hit by rescue vehicles. There are estimated to be 2000 evacuation centres in Fukushima prefecture, some huge gymnasiums, others smaller, like temples or private facilities. Now that the school year has started, evacuees have to move out of schools to other evacuation places. Most pets are not allowed in any of these so people keep them tied to cars or in cars. This will be dangerous as the weather gets warmer.
When talking to evacuees about why they haven't been back to rescue their pets they answer as follows:
*many people have no transport; they were bused to the evacuation centres by the authorities. Even if they have a car, they have no petrol. There is no public transport.
* When they were evacuated, they thought it would only be for a couple of days so they left their pets with enough food and water for that time.
* they are constantly told of the dangers of radiation and prevented from going back home. This is of course a real fear because nobody knows how much radiation is in the air or on the ground.
After the boys rescued animals, they and the animals had to be checked for radiation. To make sure that animals were free of radiation, the boys shampooed and washed any that were especially dirty before sending them to Osaka.
In yesterday's update I said that the period of danger from radiation which prevents people from being able to return home, even though their homes are not damaged, would be 6 - 9 months, this is unlikely. People are now predicting one year or two before it is safe to go back and many places will become uninhabitable for ever.
Total of rescued animals to date: 71 dogs, 15 cats, one bird.
Elizabeth Oliver ARK
Animal Refuge Kansai - ARK
Web Site: http://arkbark.net
How to donate: We have two ways to donate, the first being Paypal, if you follow the link
from the English http://arkbark.net site it will take you to Paypal in English. Another
option would be International Postal Money Order sent to:
595 Noma Ohara, Nose-cho
Toyono-gun, Osaka-fu 563-0131
Japan
Animals are so special, so precious. They are our children too, and they need our love and protection. 
