Perilous
Times
Rabbits born without ears near Fukushima nuclear plant
* From: The Daily Telegraph
* June 13, 2011 7:27AM
Earless rabbits has been discovered just outside the radiation
zone of the Fukushima nuclear plant in Japan.
FRESH fears over a nuclear leak at the tsunami-ravaged Fukushima
plant have re-ignited after rabbits born close to the facility
were found to have no ears.
Locals have been left wondering whether this earless bunnies -
found near the facility at the end of last month - was the first
sign of side-effects from the nuclear catastrophe.
The Fukushima plant suffered terrible damage when a tsunami,
triggered by an earthquake, swept through the facility in March,
destroying reactors.
Following a blast at the plant that caused initial leaks,
officials warned people living near Fukushima to stay indoors,
turn off airconditioning and stop drinking tap water.
Since then experts have been nervously watching radiation levels
around the plant.
The Japanese government has already more than doubled the estimate
for the amount of radiation released by the plant.
The government's Nuclear and Industrial Safety Agency also said
during a briefing in Tokyo that it was now believed that reactor
cores in some of the units melted more quickly than previously
thought.
Meanwhile, more than 90,000 people are still living in shelters
three months after the tsunami and only a fraction of the debris
has been removed. The confirmed death toll from the disaster
yesterday reached 15,413 while another 8069 people remain missing.