Cars collide with roaming cattle in zone around Fukushima plant－

Cars collide with roaming cattle in zone around Fukushima plant

FUKUSHIMA -- Several collisions have been occurring between cars and roaming cattle in the no-entry zone around the Fukushima No. 1 Nuclear Power Plant, it has been learned.

According to the Futaba Police Station, of the 25 cases it has processed, 23 were at night. With street lights in the zone out, cars appear to be not noticing black cows and running into them. No injuries to people have been reported.

The first collision between a car and a cow in the zone was in Kawauchi in early July, 2011. Recently, there were collisions on National Route 6 in Tomioka between a car and two cows on May 31, and another collision there on June 1. According to police, there have been eight collisions in Okuma, seven each in Tomioka and Naraha, two in Namie, and one in Kawauchi. Nineteen have been on National Route 6. In all cases, the cars were driven by nuclear plant-related workers. Most of the cattle were black-haired, and half of them died immediately in the collisions.

According to the Fukushima Prefectural Government, after the nuclear disaster began, around 2,000 cattle in the no-entry zone were euthanized or otherwise disposed of. Prefectural workers and others have been catching cattle that escaped from barns or otherwise ended up roaming, but as there are also cattle that have been born amongst roaming cattle, the prefecture estimates there are over 200 cattle roaming in the zone. There was one case of a police car with its red light on being surrounded by cattle and attacked by bulls with horns.