Naoto Matsumura Cares For Animals In Fukushima (16 Pics)

The Fukushima disaster was a nuclear disaster at the Fukushima I Nuclear Power Plant in Japan that began on March 11th, 2011. It resulted in a nuclear meltdown of three of the plant's six nuclear reactors. The failure occurred when the plant was hit by a tsunami that was the result of a 9.0 magnitude earthquake. The following day, March 12th, substantial amounts of radioactive material began to be released. This made it the largest nuclear incident since the Chernobyl disaster that occurred in April of 1986. Although no fatalities due to short-term radiation exposure were reported, approximately 300,000 people were evacuated from the area. Due to various reasons, the people who were evacuated were not able to take their pets or farm animals with them when they were evacuated. This is where Naoto Matsumura comes into the picture. He is a fifty-five year old construction worker. He lives in the evacuated zone to care for the animals left behind. Why would he do that you might ask. Because they needed him.

Every day he is there, he is risking his own health and safety to care for the many animals that were abandoned when the are was evacuated. 

Here he is feeding and caring for other people's farm and domestic animals. 

He has come to be known as the “Guardian of Fukushima’s Animals.”

It's pretty obvious that he is a great lover of animals. 

He knows that every day he is there, his body is getting subjected to major radiation.  

He says that he, “Refuses to worry about it.” He does take steps, however, by only eating food imported into the zone.

He left when everyone was first evacuated, but returned after to take care of the animals. 

He is currently the only human brave enough to live in the evacuation zone. 

Some people call him radioactive man. 

Like a super hero, of sorts. 

He doesn't think of himself as a hero. 

He originally went back to care for his animals. He said that he really had nowhere else to go. 

Then noticed all the other animals that were in need of help.

He said, “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.”

A lot of animals were chained up by their owners, so he set them free.

The government has forbidden him from staying, yet he remains.