·
In South Korea
abandoned animals have 10 days to be adopted or they are killed
·
Unusually,
President Moon has brought rescue pets to the Blue House
Jasper Kim is
a Professor at Ewha University in Seoul, Korea, a senior fellow at Melbourne
Law School, Chief Executive of the Asia-Pacific Global Research Group, and an
attorney. The opinions expressed here are solely his.
(CNN)When South Korea's new president
Moon Jae-in took up residency in the Blue House last month, his choice of pets
raised some eyebrows.
Unlike his predecessor, he didn't
exclusively go for pure-bred white Jindo dogs renowned for their devout loyalty
and stoic beauty. Instead he chose a rescue dog and cat (named Tory and
Jjing-Jjing) -- a move hailed by animal rights activists.
The mere image and civil act of
Korea's new president showing compassion for abandoned and abused rescue
animals will be both positive and powerful. South Korea is a modern country,
but its progress when it comes to animal welfare lags behind its rapid economic
development.
"Tory, by conventional
standards, is an ugly dog covered in black hair. I will adopt him as 'first
dog' in the belief that both humans and animals have the right to be free from
prejudice and discrimination," stated Moon, shortly after being elected.
Many Koreans consider mixed-breed
dogs and cats to be "impure," and many still view animals of all
kinds, including dogs and cats, to be "unclean" or "dirty."
The few prized dogs that do exist
in South Korea are typically light or white-colored purebreds -- an antiquated
notion of purity and cleanliness.
Ten days to be
adopted
Such views have had negative ripple
effects when it comes to the conditions surrounding abandoned and homeless
animals in South Korea.
In 2015, nearly 800,000 animals
were abandoned -- down from 2010, when the figure reached nearly one million.
Under the Animal Protection Act, abandoned animals only have ten days until
they must be adopted, or they must be killed humanely.
In 2015, over 42% of shelter
animals died or were euthanized, according to the Ministry of Agriculture, Food, and Rural Affairs (MAFRA).
According to the Korea Consumer
Agency, only 5.2% were adopted from shelters. Most dogs are sourced from
breeders, because pets from shelters are considered unhygienic.
Meanwhile, although the concept of
"zero kill" shelters, along with spay and neuter programs to help
drive down euthanization rates, is emerging in other regions, the concept has
yet to take a strong foothold in South Korea.
South Korea has also received wide
criticism, domestically and internationally, for its dog meat industry.
Admittedly, the sector is declining, with the younger generation of South
Koreans increasingly spurning the practice.
Still, government
subsidies and training programs to help transition businesses out of the
industry would be highly beneficial for both humans and animals alike in this
area.
Stronger
laws
While the previous
administration did focus on pets as a proclaimed initiative, it was a focus on
the pet sector as a potential new economic sector through further deregulation,
not a policy focus on improving animal welfare.
In fact, deregulation
of the pet and animal industry -- which is relatively lightly regulated already
-- would arguably have led to much worse conditions in terms of pet and animal
welfare.
What is needed now
are stronger and more modernized laws and enforcement mechanisms to truly protect
animal welfare in South Korea.
This can include
government support for animal shelters, education awareness programs, funding
for spay and neuter programs, and business subsidies to shift out of the dog
meat industry.
Such measures --
helping both animals and humans alike -- will help put South Korea on a greater
par with animal welfare programs in the US and Europe.
An opportunity also
exists for South Korea, under Moon's leadership, to be the first nation in the
region to pass an animal sentient law, to better protect against puppy mills
and other nefarious industries that commit acts of animal cruelty, which much
like in Canada and New Zealand, would recognize that "animals are not
things, they are sentient beings and have biological needs."
Mahatma Gandhi
famously proclaimed, "The greatness of a nation can be judged by the way
its animals are treated."
President Moon, a
vocal animal advocate, now has the opportunity to follow his words with action
in the form of passing animal welfare policies.
A great nation must
not be defined as merely being a rich nation, but a compassionate nation.
FROM THE DESK OF ANIMAL RIGHTS WRITERS ASSOCIATION OF
NIGERIA.
http://edition.cnn.com/2017/06/23/opinions/south-korea-dogs-animal-welfare/index.html
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