The 750 member-strong Fukuoka Prefecture Veterinarians’ Association has established Japan’s first Veterinary Medical Assistance Team (VMAT), a group of vets who work to rescue pets after disasters. Based on lessons learned from the Great East Japan Earthquake, which claimed the lives of many pets, VMATs consist of registered vets who have undergone training in disaster rescue techniques and are dispatched when requested.
On May 15, Itoshima City signed an agreement with the Association to become the first VMAT partner municipality. Toshiyuki Funatsu, a Fukuoka-based vet who volunteered in Fukushima in July 2011, recognized the need for a VMAT after witnessing pets that had lost their owners and starved to death. The Association agreed with him and drafted a detailed plan to establish a VMAT. As a partner city, Itoshima will build and help operate a shelter for disaster-stricken pets. Source: Nishinippon Shimbun, May 16, http://www.nishinippon.co.jp/nnp/item/363947
Official HP (Fukuoka Prefecture Veterinarians’ Association) : http://www.e-fukujyu.com/index.html