Helping Our Aquarium and Zoo Friends in Japan

I was a Matsumae Fellow at Nihon University in Japan in 1990 and had the great pleasure to get to know Japan from an insiders perspective. It is truly beautiful country with a fascinating  history and an enchanting culture. My host at Nihon U, Dr. Kenji Hotta and his wife Hirome, visited us in Alaska just two weeks ago and came down to Seward with me – along the way we stopped to kenbutsu (sightsee) the amazing scenery of Turnagain Arm and inevitably found ourselves talking about the 1964 Alaskan earthquake that changed so many lives and landscapes here.

It was hard to believe that just a few days later, the same type of devastation was unleashed by an earthquake of similar magnitude (9.0) in Japan. Fortunately Kenji and Hirome and their families are safe, but our deepest sympathy goes out to the hundreds of Japanese communities who have been impacted by the quake, the tsunamis and now radiation leaks.

Devastation of the Seward waterfront after the 1964 tsunami

As Seward residents know all too well, natural disasters have both immediate and a longer term impacts that literally can take decades to recover from. From my office window at low tide I can still see the jagged foundations of the old rail dock that was ripped apart by the tsunami and the subsequent fires that destroyed Seward’s waterfront in 1964. For many years the dock wreckage and empty waterfront symbolized the terrible human toll and economic loss that the 64 earthquake and tsunami wreaked upon Seward. Many residents tell me that it was not until the SeaLife Center opened in 1998 that they felt a sense of peace had been restored and that there was scope for optimism about the future of the City. However, I also appreciate that for many folks the healing process is never complete.

Aerial view of Seward after the 1964 tsunami (photo from USGS)

Watching the media coverage of the Japan tsunami aftermath, I get a  strong sense that the people there are still living through the worst of that disaster and so have been wondering how best to help them to recover from this disaster.  But like many of you, I am unsure of how best to help. We have made donations to Red Cross through their tremendous SMS facility, but I wanted to do more.  I was therefore delighted today to receive news from the Alliance of Marine Mammal Parks and Aquaria (of which ASLC is a new member) about a new World Association of Zoos and Aquaria (WAZA) initiative to help three Japanese zoos and aquaria that have been destroyed by the earthquake and tsunami.

The impressive Fukushima aquarium on the coast of Japan, in Iwaki city (the 10th largest city in Japan and is about 100 miles north east of Tokyo) - now largely wrecked...
WAZA mentions that Mr. Kazutoshi Takami of Osaka Municipal Tennoji Zoological Gardens informed them of the following facilities affected:

“Fukushima aquarium flooded to the second floor. All the staff were evacuated at third floor. Life support system was broken down, and fishes died off. But marine mammals are still alive.
Sendai Marinpia Matsushima aquarium was completely-flooded but miraculously no human damage. We do not have any updated information about them.
Sendai Yagiyama Zoo estimates a shortage of feeding stuff. The power is out in Sendai city. JAZA office is trying to coordinate suitable arrangements.”
"Some affected zoos and aquariums are suffering from shortage of gas, fuel for heater, food and drinking water for both humans and animals. JAZA is considering concrete measures to send feeding stuff to Sendai Yagiyama Zoo. Fukushima aquarium will move their sea mammals and birds to Kamogawa Sea World. Kamogawa will send some vehicles to Fukushima tomorrow. After completion of shipping, staff of Fukushima aquarium will get out of the facility, because they can nothing to do without any feeding stuff and fuel, in addition they have to be concerned about radiation from the atomic power plant. It is most important for us to secure the adequate means of transport.”

WAZA has created a donate function on its Web site: www.waza.org/en/site/get-involved/donate-for-japan.  Funds will be used to feed and care for animals as well as transport them to other aquariums as needed. Donations are made in Swiss francs; note the acronym CHF in the box. For example, if you are in the U.S. and put $50 as the amount you wish to give, you will be charged $53 on your credit cards at today’s (3/16/11) exchange rate.

I encourage all ASLC members and partners to support our Japanese friends via this WAZA initiative.