The Japanese authorities made a strange discovery last month: in a house of barely 30 square meters in size, they found as many as 164 dogs, starving. And that is not the first time. The problem is the result of poverty, isolation and an aging population.
–
The find occurred last month in a house in Izumo, western Japan, following complaints from neighbors. The dogs were found under tables and chairs and, according to Kunihisa Sagami, the head of animal rights organization Dobutsukikin, the floor was covered with feces.
Authorities also knocked on the door of the house seven years ago, after neighbors complained about odor and noise nuisance. But they did not get in then because the family of three refused them entry. They later said that they did not have the money to spay or neuter the animals, which is why the dogs increased in number. Reception families are now being sought for them.
Poverty
It is not the first time that such a high number of animals has been found in a house. For example, a man in his fifties was arrested in June after 66 dogs were found with him. In March, no fewer than 238 cats were discovered in a home in northern Japan, and 163 cats were also found with a woman and her older mother in Tokyo.
A ministry analysis of 368 cases showed that some 30 percent of owners are over 70, of whom a significant number have dementia. More than half of those surveyed also said they live in difficult conditions, including poverty, health problems and isolation. To address the problem, penalties for cruelty to animals have been increased and owners at risk are forced to sterilize their animals.
– .
