Animal shelters run by local governments are overcrowded with abandoned animals

A foster animal shelter in Hongseong-gun, Chungcheongnam-do, empty after a rescue. Courtesy of Lucy‘s Friends

A domestic animal rights advocacy group called Korean Animal Rights Advocates (KARA) rescued 105 dogs from an animal shelter organized by a local government and transferred them to an animal protection organization. “Friends of Lucy,” a coalition of animal rights advocacy organizations, including KARA, announced on March 19 that it rescued all the dogs trapped in an animal shelter in Hongseong-gun, South Chungcheong Province on the 17th. This is the first time an animal protection organization has rescued all of the animals in a local government-run shelter.

According to “Friends of Lucy,” the shelter was overcrowded with 105 dogs at the time of the rescue. They were crammed together in small cages that were only big enough for one or two adult dogs. Cages up in the air that are used in dog farms were also found at the shelter. They are iron cages with holes in the bottom to dispose of feces, which causes leg fractures of dogs.

Four puppies, less than a year old, are locked in a cage at a shelter on Sunday. Courtesy of Lucy‘s Friends

Shin Joo-eun, head of the policy change team at KARA, said, "Abandoned animals were constantly coming in while few were being adopted, so many dogs were crammed into a small space,” adding, “We rescued them because of the poor conditions." However, it is presumed that euthanasia was not practiced at the shelter. "The shelter was overcrowded because the workers at the shelter were trying to protect them without killing them," Shin said. “It seems that the shelter was also struggling."

The rescued dogs are being protected by 12 animal protection organizations, including KARA, Korean Dogs, which participated in the rescue effort.

“Friends of Lucy” pointed out that Korea’s culture of buying dogs at a pet shop is behind overcrowded animal shelters. “Mother dogs are repeatedly overbred to produce puppies that can be sold at a high price, and the structural problem of not being able to keep up with the growing population leads to abuse and animals in the shelters are deprived of the opportunity to be adopted," it explained. Of the 105 animals rescued, 60 of them were puppies less than a year old.

A dog rescued by the Humane Society awaits adoption on Sunday. Courtesy of Lucy‘s Friends

“Friends of Lucy” said, "People can adopt baby animals through shelters, not pet shops. It is urgent to introduce laws and systems to prohibit pet shops."

※This article has undergone review by a professional translator after being translated by an AI translation tool.