update 18th March 2011


Back in Osaka. Lucky to get a seat on crowded plane which was half full of children being evacuated. Normally it would have been full of businessmen.


Situation getting critical. People dying from starvation in the north. One rice ball a day between two people. Heavy snow there and also some here.


Our van is supposed to head up to Sendai tonight , loaded with food for animals and people, cages, varikennels, blankets etc: but lack of fuel the main problem, they need to take enough petrol for the return journey.


Foreigners evacuating from Tokyo. Germans and French have gone, now Chinese and other nationalities. 7000 Brits in Tokyo. Emails requesting us to pick up animals left in pet hotels near Kansai airport so this is a growing catastrophe. Many foreigners wanting us to board their pets.


We are issuing the following guidelines for pets coming to board at ARK


* Pets can be boarded at ARK for three months. If after three months we have no contact from the owner, those pets become the property of ARK and can be rehomed.
* All pets will be vaccinated on arrival, unless a vaccination certificate is produced. They will also be checked by our vet for health conditions and neutered, unless this has already been done.
* We ask people to bring animals here or have them sent by air to our nearest airport, Osaka Itami.
* Animals will be boarded free of charge, but we would appreciate any donations.


One piece of good news however. Our resident vet Marisa Miyamoto has cancelled her annual leave in the UK and plan to attend a veterinary conference, scheduled for next week, and is staying on here to help with incoming animals.


We have also been offered the use of a building, once an inn, in central Osaka. We are trying to negotiate with the owner to allow pets together with owners to stay there, so that they could be looked after by people they know rather than having our staff go down there to care for them. please see the following on YouTube


http://news.yahoo.com/s/yblog_thelookout/dog-in-japan-stays-by-the-side-...



Elizabeth Oliver
Chairman of the Board of ARK