Here is a video clip from CNN that offers much of what people want to see in news reports. This story is about pets that have been left in the area around the Fukushima nuclear power plant, which is uninhabitable. Many owners left their pets in the area because they had no choice, or because they did not know how long they would be gone.
This clip will capture viewer interest because of the imagery of abandoned homes and emaciated pets who are often chained in yards. People are attracted to disasters like the Japan Tsunami. Further, Americans are still looking on in curiosity at the effects of the nuclear accident. Many may be thinking about American nuclear power in the context of this disaster. People are also usually sympathetic of children, the elderly, and animals because of their vulnerability. These animals appear helpless and many of them are cute. They capture viewers' hearts.
Similarly, many pets were abandoned in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. A variety of organizations sent representatives to rescue pets in New Orleans, to try to reconnect them with their owners, or, if that was not possible, to try to find adoptive families. This article from USA Today describes some of the actions taken by various groups: http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/2005-09-03-katrinapetrescues_x.htm
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