The other side of the high-tech-nation Japan

The suffering of animals is without limits – our fight against this suffering has to be limitless, too!

Announcement

The public finally has to become informed about the living situation of our animal friends in High-Tec-Japan. There have been several reports about whale-hunting and dolphin massacres for many years. However, not only whales and dolphins suffer and die, slaughtered by humans, but also many other species. They haven’t been taken into account yet by the international animal welfare organizations or animal rights associations, because outside of Japan none or only very few facts about their sad destiny are known by the people.

Therefore I will report through small announcements (multilingual) on the situation of animals as well as the activities of SASA Japan. I will elucidate animal friends all over the world, supported by A.K.T.E. (ArbeitskreisTierrechte & Ethik = association for animal rights & ethics), about extensively unknown grievances in pet husbandry and the handling of animals in general in Japan.

Lydia Tanabe / Speaker SASA Japan (Small Animals Support Association)
A.K.T.E. - Member / Ressort Asia

REPORT 1 / 04.10.2005

The State-Run Gas Chambers

Annually about 400.000 to 600.000 cats and dogs are being gassed state-aided in Japan. Two thirds of the gassed animals are cats and again ninety –five percent of which never even reach the age of six months.The animals mostly come from pet-shops that can not or don’t want to dispose of their animals or from families who want to get rid of their pets that have become annoying or out of fashion.

Those who are responsible for the gas chambers are the so-called "helpdesks for the love of animals and animal welfare" (Doubutsu Aigo Soudan Senta). Prefects or municipal governments are directly responsible for these helpdesks, so that the time limit for the assassinations differs depending on the respective prefect. While some prefects gas their animals even on the day of delivery and others - due to manpower shortages - keep the poor creatures in callow rooms without thermal protection or insulation for cold and without adequate food supplies, in most cases the time limit for dogs is seven to fourteen days and for cats it is between one day or one week, to be adopted, if applicable. The helpdesks also provide research laboratories with a part of the animals for testing purposes.

As many animals as possible are being penned up in the gas chambers on the day of gasification. The gas chamber fills up with gas at the push of a button – the animals fight and scream for their lives for about ten minutes. When the screaming stops the gas chamber is being transported automatically over a pit full of dead bodies. The bottom of the chamber opens up and the bodies fall into the pit, from where they’re being transported again automatically over an assembly line to be burnt. A part of the animals, primarily very young kittens, survive the gas and will be burnt alive.

According to a survey one third of the Japanese population believes the gas chambers are right, as animals are legally viewed as things, which can be disposed of arbitrarily. About one third of the population feels sorry for the animals, but can not think of an alternative. The last third is against the gasification of dogs and cats.

Lydia Tanabe / Speaker - SASA Japan (Small Animals Support Association) / 04.10.2005
A.K.T.E. - Member / Ressort Asia