Corpses of cattle, hogs and chickens have been left rotting in barns within the 20-kilometer evacuation zone of the hobbled Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant, a veterinarian said.
Corpses of cattle, hogs and chickens have been left rotting in barns within the 20-kilometer evacuation zone of the hobbled Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant, a veterinarian said.
The animals likely starved to death after their owners left the area on the government's warning last month. Some farm animals were still alive, but most appeared too debilitated to feed themselves, according to Shigeki Imamoto, a veterinarian from Katsuragi, Nara Prefecture.
Imamoto, 37, led a group to communities within the 20-km zone on April 15 to study the condition of animals. He said his group carried out the study because Fukushima prefectural government officials and other authorities had no idea about the situation of the animals left behind in the evacuation zone.
He said he saw dairy cows dead from starvation in barns. Some cattle were on the loose apparently having been released by farmers upon fleeing the area.
Many of those animals looked thin, Imamoto said.
There were signs that people had sneaked into the zone to take care of cattle at some barns, but most of the dead animals were just left as they were, he said.
The veterinarian said he told police officers at check points that the group was entering the zone to survey the animals.
The farm ministry has voiced concerns about the health hazards from the dead animals.
The central government had been discouraging residents from staying within the 20-km radius of the nuclear power plant and had kept unauthorized people out of the area. On April 22, the government barred entry to the area.