The man chose to stay after the explosion to take care of the many cats and other pets abandoned at the Japanese site.
Ten years ago, reactors at the Fukushima nuclear power plant in Japan exploded causing a nuclear disaster. While many residents have left the exclusion zone, a few have chosen to stay. This is the case with Sakae Kato. The 57-year-old man did not want to leave his home, but that is not the only reason he refused to leave. Indeed, Sakae also wanted to rescue the animals abandoned on the site following the nuclear accident.
A decade ago, Sakae Kato stayed behind to rescue cats abandoned by neighbors who fled the radiation clouds belching from the nearby Fukushima nuclear plant.
He won’t leave https://t.co/E4LxHvHmWP 1/7 pic.twitter.com/ZxUsIFIysQ
— Reuters (@Reuters) March 4, 2021
Sakae Kato, himself the owner of a small construction company before the disaster, helped demolish houses abandoned after the nuclear power plant explosion at the time. He told Reuters he was shocked to discover the many remains of pets left behind. Sakae then decided to stay to take care of those who were still alive. A mission that he has never ceased for 10 years now. Moreover, far from regretting his choice, Sakae explains that the cats he saved and the dog he adopted, on the contrary, convinced him of his choice to stay on the family land he loves so much. ” I don’t want to leave, I like living in these mountains “,
The man has 41 cats:
A decade ago, Sakae Kato stayed behind to rescue cats abandoned by neighbors who fled the radiation clouds belching from the nearby Fukushima nuclear plant.
He won’t leave https://t.co/E4LxHvHmWP 1/7 pic.twitter.com/ZxUsIFIysQ
— Reuters (@Reuters) March 4, 2021
On a daily basis, this good Samaritan takes care of 41 cats! The felines are divided between his house and another building. ” I want to be sure I’m there to take care of the last one. After that, I want to die, whether it’s a day or an hour later, ” says Sakae Kato. Moreover, despite all his efforts, felines are not immortal, man has already buried 23 cats in his garden.
Helping other animals
But Sakae’s dedication doesn’t stop with pets. The man also leaves food all over the area for local wild cats and … stray boars. And he’s not the only one around here. For example, Masami Yoshizawa, a neighbor of her breeder and owner of the “Hope Ranch”, refused to slaughter her herd of cattle after the disaster and continues to care for her 233 cows.
