During natural disasters, animals are sometimes forgotten.
That was the case after a 2011 radiation leak at Japan’s Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant forced thousands of people to flee from the surrounding areas. As for the animals, many were sadly left behind without any help.
That’s all changed with the help of one man named Naoto Matsumura: he’s made it his mission to care for them. His act is so heartwarming, just like this pup who was saved after falling through thin ice or this one who was rescued from a dangerous water treatment facility.
Matsumura, who was raised in a town close to the plant called Tomioka, says he wants “to save the lives of those pets and animals who were left behind.” And that's something he's certainly managed to do.
Despite the consequences of being exposed to the radiation, Matsumura refuses to leave and lives alone in the area with his 50 cows and two ostriches. His bond with these animals is easy to see – just look at him interacting with the birds at the 1:02 mark.
Matsumura also has one more mission: to remind people that the area still exists.
“The nuclear exclusion zone is being forgotten. In people’s minds it’s fading away,” he said in the video below. “So it’s my job to tell everyone that it’s still here.”
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