We’ve all read about the damage and human suffering of the Fukushima disaster. What we didn’t read is what happened with the poor animals that were left behind in the radioactive zone. This is the story about a real life hero, who dedicated his life in helping the animals in the radioactive area.
Naoto Matsumura is a 55 year old man and he truly is the ‘guardian of Fukushima’s animals’. Naoto is a former construction worker who is brave to live in Fukushima’s 12.5-mile exclusion zone. When the disaster happened, he fled but he decided to come back because he wanted to care of the animals that were left there.
He firstly decided to return in 2011 because he missed his own pets but he decided to dedicate his life to take care of all the animals left behind. Naoto is aware that he lives in a dangerous zone and the government forbids him to live there but he refuses to worry about that.
“They also told me that I wouldn’t get sick for 30 or 40 years. I’ll most likely be dead by then anyway, so I couldn’t care less”, says Naoto.
He now takes care of every single animal left behind in Fukushima- he feeds them and nurtures them. He relies on donations that help him feed all the animals.
