Animal rights group rescues 24 animals from devastating wildfires

Wildfire ravaging across Euiseong-gun, North Gyeongsang Province is seen on Monday. (Yonhap)

As deadly wildfires ravage the country's southeastern regions, an animal protection group has been rescuing domestic animals being held at farms and homes in affected areas.

Lucy's Friends, a coalition of 20 animal rights groups, said Monday it has been conducting rescue missions for animals since Sunday in Uiseong, North Gyeongsang Province, which has been struck by one of the worst forest fires in the country's history.

The group said it has rescued a total of 24 animals in the region, including dogs, cats and goats tied up or abandoned at homes and farms. It also said it found an illegally-run dog farm of over 100 dogs in Uiseong, but was unable to rescue most of the dogs there as the owner would not relinquish the rights to the animals.

Lucy's Friends said it decided to conduct animal rescues as many Uiseong residents would not have been able to take their animals with them when evacuating. Uiseong has one of the most aged populations in the country.

According to an official tally by North Gyeongsang Province, 47.5 percent of Uiseong's population are aged 65 or above as of Dec. 30, 2024, the highest in the province. The percentage of senior citizens in North Gyeongsang itself (26 percent) was higher than any other region in Korea except South Jeolla Province (27.2 percent).

Authorities have been battling to contain a series of wildfires that have swept across several locations in the Gyeongsang provinces, killing multiple people and forcing thousands to evacuate. The largest fires in Uiseong and Andong, North Gyeongsang Province, and Sancheong, South Gyeongsang Province, have yet to be contained as of Monday.