One Man Lives Alone In Fukushima Dead Zone Town: To Take Care of his Animals

Hi all

This is a rather sobering post.. This one man Naoto Matsumura, quite possibly the world's most radioactive man, lives alone on his farm with his animals that he could not leave. The town of Tomioka was made a dead zone by the Fukushima disaster..



Here is an interview with the Naoto:
NB: There are english subtitles, if not already on click on captions menu at bottom of vid.



For those who do not have time to watch vid. At the start of the video he says:

It's so quiet here. At night its dead silent. There are buildings, but no cars or people. It was crazy at first. No lights, no sound. The first week I was uneasy. It was too quiet. I'm used to it now, but the emotion I felt when I realised I was alone ... is indescribable. 'Loneliness' doesn't quite capture it. That was the toughest thing to get used to.

I do not think any of us could imagine quite how that man felt. I admire him for coming back to look after his animals, whilst others left and now their animals rot where they were left to starve in their pens.. He has even taken others animals that survived under his wing..

'Our dogs didn’t get fed for the first few days. When I did eventually feed them, the neighbors’ dogs started going crazy.

'I went over to check on them and found that they were all still tied up. Everyone in town left thinking they would be back home in a week or so, I guess. From then on, I fed all the cats and dogs every day.'

'They couldn’t stand the wait, so they’d all gather around barking up a storm as soon as they heard my truck. Everywhere I went there was always barking. Like, ‘we’re thirsty’ or, ‘we don’t have any food.’ So I just kept making the rounds.'

He looks after all the animals he finds and nurtures them back to health if he can.. Speaking of his own health, Naoto thinks that he is well and healthy for the time being, even considering that he is permanently exposed to up to 17 times the level of radiation that is considered safe. He was taken for tests at the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency and was found to have the highest level of radiation in anyone they had tested.

'When I went down and let them look me over, they told me I was the "champion". 'But 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.'

Naoto Matsumura has said he will not leave the town and he will definitely not leave the animals.. What an incredible man indeed..

'I was born and raised in this town,' he told us. 'When I die, it’s going to be in Tomioka.'

www.dailymail.co.uk...

This man is what the definition of "hero" really is, hands down. Kudos to you, Mr. Matusumura, you're doing what few people would do outside of a radioactive zone. To take care of all of those animals within one, that's noble & selfless.

reply to post by Nyiah


Being stupid and ending your life on purpose does not make you a hero.

It makes you a fool.

He should have brought a gun and put these poor creature out of their misery instead of continuing to have them suffer.

reply to post by fluff007


That's an amazing story!

I wonder if his story will inspire others to do the same, I hope so

If they are right in that he may not become sick for 30 or 40 years then I see it as an option, especially the way he feels about his hometown, the passion he has for the abandoned animals there.....
..........hell I feel like going out there to help him too!!!!

I just hope he does survive a very long time and doesn't become too sick too soon!

My best wishes are with this brave man!

This is horribly sad.Let us remember the words he spoke at the end-about nature-how we were able to enjoy it,and we lived off it-and then it was all gone.This is what happens when we forsake nature,we will become the forsaken,and the slowly but inevitably starving.Remember this video,all who watch it.

Originally posted by Hopechest
reply to post by Nyiah

 

Being stupid and ending your life on purpose does not make you a hero.

It makes you a fool.

He should have brought a gun and put these poor creature out of their misery instead of continuing to have them suffer.

Whilst he is a hero he is also totally crazy, and I'm inclined to agree with hope chest

Maybe this will show people that nuclear disasters aren't AS bad. They are still very dangerous, but reading many people's posts on ATS, they think any slight radiation or any type or source will cause you to vomit, bleed from the eyes, and die quickly. Fukashima isn't giving people CLOSE BY radiation poisoning, it's sure as hell not giving it to anyone anywhere else. Cancer a long ways down the line? Sure. But that's a pretty good bet even if Fukashima never happened.

It's likely this man will live out the rest of his natural life without any effect from the radiation. It's possible the animals will do the same, the type of radiation that Fukashima released is that type that gives you cancer in 40 years, not the type that cooks your body and kills you. The shorter lived animals are, the less they are effected by this type of radiation, so the animals probably aren't getting effected by it to any large degree either.

I applaud this man for what he is doing, even though the danger to himself isn't really all that great, living so totally isolated would be difficult.

reply to post by Hopechest


Makes me sad to think I share the planet with people with attitudes such as yours!

He's a hero to many including myself and especially to those animals you would so callously shoot!

If someones tired of being a cog perhaps they should join him. Interesting thought anyway. All the trappings of civilization but no people

reply to post by wiser3


Have you ever seen pictures of animals suffering from radiation poison?

Its hard for me to believe I have to share the world with people that would support this kind of inhumane treatment.

Do you know the deformities that affect radiated animals and their offspring for decades?

I believe you need to do some research on this before you call this guy a hero.

I wasn't able to view the video on my phone but what a beautiful story. As an animal lover myself, I do believe this man is a hero. He certainly isn't a 'fool' and I respect him immensely for giving these companions who had been abandoned a second chance at life. Also, I'm sorry to say, shame on those pet owners for not bringing their furry family with them in an emergency. Regardless of how long they thought they would be gone while hoping to return.

reply to post by BulletsCantSilenceIdeas


Here is one of the nicer pictures of rabbits being born in this area very deformed. This mans heart may be in the right place but his ignorance is causing more suffering than if these animals were put down.

Bittersweet, as pets/domesticated pets are SLAVES anyhow you take it.

Only exception can think of is cats allowed free roam in and out.. and look what that caused, widespread availability of spay/neuter programs, yet worldwide feral cats and thousands euthanized at shelters possibly daily.

A lesson not to keep med-large mammals as pets. Reptiles, fish, small birds, etc, cant 'pet' as much but somewhat less heartbreaking and more humane to keep yet abandon first sign of disaster.

Originally posted by Hopechest
reply to post by Nyiah

 

Being stupid and ending your life on purpose does not make you a hero.

It makes you a fool.

He should have brought a gun and put these poor creature out of their misery instead of continuing to have them suffer.

This is one wrong post in so many ways.

Originally posted by Hopechest

Here is one of the nicer pictures of rabbits being born in this area very deformed. This mans heart may be in the right place but his ignorance is causing more suffering than if these animals were put down.

Nature will take care of itself, even radiated one. Chernobyl area looks like the amazon forest right now, with all kind of animals living there. That is the future of Fukushima, not perfect but perfectly habitable.

In my eyes this man is a good Man and i wish him good luck.

Originally posted by Hopechest
reply to post by Nyiah

 

Being stupid and ending your life on purpose does not make you a hero.

It makes you a fool.

He should have brought a gun and put these poor creature out of their misery instead of continuing to have them suffer.

Only a foolish man would think so. No man has the right to take life away. When it is their time they will be brought back to dust and their energy restored to the earth for energy is neither created nor destroyed.

reply to post by Hopechest

I showed my 15year old daughter this video-and she agrees with you from the heart-she is a great,great animal lover,and she agrees that putting these animals out of their misery IS as a matter of fact the kinder option.I tend to agree,although i do feel for this guy too.I cannot help but think that personal issues in this guy's life may be a contributing factor in his decision.I have to wonder,what about his own loved ones,who may be missing him desperately.
However the lesson here is definitely-if nature suffers,we will ALL collectively suffer-sooner or later.If nature is destroyed-WE WILL ALL BE DESTROYED.

Very moving video thanks for sharing.
s&f

The part near the end where he talks about the mother and her calf and how the calf tried to nurse from the end of a bit of dangling rope before dying days later.. really pulled on my heart strings..

Thank you for sharing this story OP - this man is a saint among cowards.

When I remember the different relationships I've had with my pets, I can't even imagine leaving my least-favorite of them behind. Their faith and loyalty stil inspire me today. I couldn't live with myself knowing I'd left them to themselves to survive - I'd rather die protecting them than live with the knowledge of my capacity for selfishness.