Vancouver Native Leads PETA's Animal Rescue Work in Japan

PETA Asia Was the First International Group to Reach the Disaster Zone

For Immediate Release:
March 23, 2011

Contact:
Kristin Richards 202-483-7382 

Sendai, Japan — Hours after the earthquake and tsunami hit Japan, veteran animal rescuer and Vancouver native Ashley Fruno was in the Manila airport, waiting for a flight to Tokyo. The PETA Asia senior campaigner managed to get a seat on the very first flight into Tokyo's reopened airport and immediately travelled to the worst-hit coastal areas, where—walking for miles a day and sleeping in her car—she provided vital food, water, and care to animals who were abandoned when citizens fled to evacuation centres. Because of Fruno's immediate action, PETA Asia was the first international animal rights group to reach affected areas in Japan.

"So many animals were left to face this disaster on their own when their guardians were forced to evacuate without them," says Fruno. "We urge families around the world to make emergency plans for their animals today—before disaster strikes—because nobody should have to make a heartbreaking choice between their dogs and cats and their own safety."

Because many evacuation centres in the area do not allow companion animals, many people have had to choose between staying in unstable, damaged homes with their dogs and cats and abandoning them to fend for themselves. Fruno visited the worst-affected areas in the city in search of animals who needed help, assisted crowded animal shelters, and distributed dog food to families who were unable to purchase their own supplies. The animals helped by Fruno included a cat who had been retrieved from a decimated house by a soldier and an injured dog, Shane, who swam through floodwaters to be reunited with his guardian.

Although her mother grew up on a dairy farm and her grandfather was president of the local rodeo board, Fruno has always cared about animals. At age 7, she found a vein in a chicken nugget and instantly made a connection between her own body and the corpse on her plate. Now, the former University of British Columbia student is based in Manila, where she coordinates campaigns, webpages, marketing projects, investigations, and the internship program for PETA Asia. In addition to her animal rescue efforts—including in the Philippines following Tropical Storm Ondoy—she has participated in eye-catching demonstrations in Hong Kong, Bangkok, Singapore, Sydney, Tokyo, and elsewhere around the world.

For more information, please visit PETA.org.