Fukushima evacuees mourn lost pets

A Buddhist memorial for a select group of Fukushima victims.

Pet owners remembered the animals they lost when they evacuated from the area surrounding Japan's crippled Fukushima nuclear plant.

The plant was damaged by a massive earthquake and tsunami on March 11 last year.

The memorial organizer said many don't know for sure what happened to their pets, making it hard to find closure.

Attendees shared pet photos and left food as offerings.

This woman said the ceremony was a way to show society that people care about animals.

With high radiation, the lack of food and winter weather, many pets and livestock were left for dead in the 12-mile nuclear exclusion area.

More than 150,000 people from the area still cannot return to their homes, with nearly half of them from the exclusion zone.

Lindsey Parietti, Reuters