InsideJapan News Network

Amidst the human turmoil caused by the March 11th earthquake it would be easy for many Japanese residents to forget the impact it has had on the animal population of Japan, but Ryo Taira did not.

The 32-year-old runs a pet shop in Sendai and he felt compelled to help when he saw a finless porpoise stranded in a rice paddy field.

After failing to capture it in a net, Mr Taira picked up the four-foot long animal in his arms and carried it to safety, the Asahi Shimbun newspaper reports.

The mammal was wrapped in wet towels and driven to the Pacific coast before being set free into the ocean, at which point it reportedly perked up and swam off.

Mr Taira and his group of helpers had been searching the area for stray dogs and cats that needed rescuing, but the discovery in Ishinomaki took him by surprise.

"Immediately after I spotted it, I realised I could not ignore it. I had to do something. This was also a victim of the tsunami," he said.

Written by Susan Ballion