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Fukushima’s pet charmer
Most avoid the restricted area of Fukushima in Japan. But for Sakae Kato, it is the place of his life’s mission: caring for abandoned pets, which he refers to as ‘children’. “There have been some frustrations in the past ten years that have caused I wonder why I was doing these things. But if humans have trouble making a living, society will take care of them and provide social help. If these children are in trouble and no one is taking care of them, they will die. “His whole family and neighbors fled after an earthquake, tsunami and the subsequent collapse of the nuclear plant 10 years ago. But Kato promised to stay in an almost empty municipality and started taking care of stray pets. Kato and his 41 stray cats now live in a dilapidated home. Water is collected from a nearby mountain spring and Kato uses public toilets outside the restricted area. “It’s getting harder to care for the animals, so I think it’s going to be even harder in 10 years. I want to be around when the last cat dies, so I want to die after that, no matter if it takes a day or an hour, I want to take care of the last cat here before he dies. Otherwise, it would be cruel to leave him alone. I will not raise any more cats, but it is also sad to see them go. “Technically, Kato is not allowed to sleep in his house and is officially a resident of the city of Fukushima, which is two hours away by car. He says his family is opposed to his charitable but expensive project. Taking care of animals consumes US $ 7,000 per month for food, fuel and veterinary expenses. Kato estimates that he has spent at least $ 750,000 over the past 10 years taking care of pets. But his kindness was not always well received by the curious. In February, Kato was arrested on suspicion of releasing wild boars caught in trap traps by the government of Japan. “People do not like wild boars and say they are worms. But wild boars have been here in front of the garage since they were babies. They are getting bigger and bigger and now they also bring their children here with them, so to me they are like my children. ”Despite these obstacles, Kato insists that he is allowed to stay in the area and will not be deterred from what he sees as the purpose of his life.