On Sept. 6, a man who abused 53 dogs he had raised for the past eight years was sentenced to a six-month prison term with two years’ probation. On Aug. 23, the animal abuse case of a person who strangled street cats and distributed videos of the crimes via Kakao Talk’s open chat room angered many people, but only a fine of 2 million won was imposed on the perpetrator.
Apart from these sensational instances of animal cruelty, domestic animal breeding facilities are also being highlighted as perpetrators of animal abuse. Media reports of such places administering drugs to induce repeated conception and inhumane procedures to extract puppies from pregnant dogs have shocked many people into acknowledging the need for enhanced animal protection and management.
Although the Animal Protection Act in Korea stipulates that animals should be protected, free from abuse, and provided with appropriate care, the act itself is controversial as the judgments for cases differ from court to court and punishments are typically light.
According to a 2022 report from the Korean National Police Agency, arrests for violation of the Animal Protection Act gradually increased between 2014 and 2021. Arrests in 2017, which saw 322 reported cases, more than doubled in 2021, with 936 people arrested with 688 cases.
Moreover, according to data released by Democratic party legislator Song Ki-hun’s parliamentary office, of the 4,221 animal abuse cases from 2017 to March 2022, only four of them led to arrests, accounting for a mere 0.1 percent. Most cases were not prosecuted or summarily ordered, and only 2.9 percent were handed over to formal trials. Even in formal trials, only 19 out of 346 people were sentenced to prison, where most received light penalties such as fines or probation.
As the number of companion animals in South Korea has seen significant increases in recent years alongside the continuous rise in animal cruelty cases, efforts have been made to prevent animal abuse and effectively protect animals.
In particular, the South Korean government is developing a system for animal protection and welfare. Operated by the Animal and Plant Quarantine Agency, the Korea Animal Welfare Information System not only registers and protects pets, but also rescues and promotes the adoption of abandoned animals.
Kim Yunhi, an officer working in the animal protection department of the Animal and Plant Quarantine Agency, explained that the system mainly consists of portal functions for the general public and animal-related business support functions for local government officials.
The portal function provides information related to animals’ registration, protection, and rescue cases, as well as animal hospitals and protection centers across the country. According to Kim, a total of 113,440 animals were rescued in 2022, with an average of 9,453 rescued and protected each month. The system strives to reunite lost animals with their owners and works to find new homes for abandoned animals.
The animal registration system has been in place nationwide for dogs over two months of age since 2014. Kim explained that registering animals has the effect of quickly returning lost animals to their owner and preventing them from being abused or abandoned. Kim stressed the need for animal registration managed at the national level for safer animal management.
In addition to efforts to promote adoption, a new function has recently been established to check how many animals an applicant has adopted in the past. This helps prevent adoption for the purposes of abuse and verifies whether applicants can provide an appropriate environment for animals. In order to ensure that adopted animals are well managed, the agency intends to link adoption information with the post-adoption animal registration status.
RSPCA for animal care, protection services and restraining animal cruelty
In search of ways to ameliorate animal protection programs in Korea, Ewha Voice went on a week-long trip to Australia, which is renowned for its animal welfare organizations.
According to a survey by Animal Medicines Australia, 69 percent of households in Australia own pets, which is an estimated 28.7 million pets as of 2022. Accordingly, Australia is a country with well-developed institutions, laws, and consciousness related to animal rights. Despite these achievements, the nation continues to improve matters through the efforts of numerous Australian animal welfare organizations.
The Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (RSPCA) is one of the largest organizations working for the protection of animals in Australia. Since the establishment of its first society in 1871, RSPCA member societies have been organized in every state, culminating in the formation of the national body RSPCA Australia in 1980.
According to Adam Farrugia, a senior manager of training at RSPCA Sydney Shelter, the main goal of the organization is to prevent animal cruelty and foster animals in shelters to rehabilitate and rehome them, along with offering vet clinics and education.
One of the most important services offered by RSPCA is adoption, while the organization also has a system to rescue many domestic animals, predominantly cats and dogs.
The shelter itself is spacious, full of cages and rooms for pre-adoption animals. It provides spaces according to the characteristics of each individual animal to prevent stress. For instance, dogs have larger cages to move freely inside, and cats have cat towers installed in each room.
“We do not euthanize an animal even if it takes a very long time until its adoption,” Farrugia explained. “One of the dogs in our shelter has been here for a year and cared for by many volunteers. He has not been adopted for quite a long time, but we are trying to let him meet a good family and eventually live in a better environment.”
Farrugia explained that RSPCA always tries to match not only the animal to the person, but also the other way around. Many visit the shelter to meet the animals after reading about them on the organization’s website. The process of adoption is confirmed through an interview to check whether the adopter’s lifestyle and the animal’s needs match, and whether they can provide an appropriate environment for the animal.
When asked about the most important factor for ensuring animal rights, Farrugia stressed education, as changing the mindsets of people and growing awareness in terms of animal protection is significantly effective to prevent animal cruelty.
“We mostly do school-based education, as educating young people about the importance of animal protection and the correct way to care for animals can change the future generation’s mind,” Farrugia said.
In addition to education, services for people raising animals were also provided, including those like the vet clinic. The animal hospital in RSPCA Sydney Shelter provides access to high-level medical checkups including spaying or neutering for rescued animals and screening and rendering treatment for owners.
The provision of legal and institutional mechanisms for animal protection is also a major role of the RSPCA. The organization continues to promote the enactment of laws to protect animal rights and campaign activities to inform the public. In terms of legal violation, 38 inspectors of the RSPCA are tasked with looking into reported issues. They have the legal authority to enter properties where animal abuse occurs, restrain offenders, and hand them over to trial.
Although the inspectors make monumental efforts in preventing cruelty to animals, the number of inspectors still falls short of need. In line with this, Farrugia emphasized the importance of reporting sightings of animal abuse, which the organization encourages through campaigns and education.
“Thanks to the support from people in New South Wales and efforts of workers and volunteers in RSPCA, the shelter could do our best in prevention of animal cruelty,” Farrugia said. “The changes and improvements in animal protection of Australia were made by people, and the RSPCA will work even harder for further improvements.”
Animal Welfare League New South Wales strives to guarantee safe and loving environment for animals
Animal Welfare League New South Wales (AWL NSW), a not-for-profit organization dedicated to the protection and welfare of animals, is striving to provide a safe and loving environment for abandoned, neglected, and surrendered animals, with the goal of finding them permanent and happy homes.
According to Alisha Smith, the Acting Shelter Manager at Kemps Creek Shelter in Sydney, AWL NSW provides a wide range of services including adoption, veterinary care, welfare inspectors, and community programs. Moreover, the organization is dedicated to improving the lives of animals and promoting responsible pet ownership across New South Wales.
Kemps Creek Shelter, is the organization’s main shelter which has the ability to house more than 240 animals whilst they wait for their new forever homes. The shelter has a vet clinic and it offers high-level care to over 9,000 animals per annum and required veterinary services such as desexing and vaccinations. In addition, to supply vet care for animal owners in remote and rural areas with a lack of access to vet care as much as in urban areas, a mobile vet truck with AWL Vet Clinic staff is run and the truck embarks on over 21 trips per year.
One of the main services of AWL NSW is animal adoption, and multiple avenues for adoption are provided. People who wish to find companion animals may not only take a look at online advertisements of animals on the Animal Welfare League website but also visit shelters during opening hours to view and adopt animals.
Smith explained that AWL’s software system allows workers from the shelter to see if people presenting for adoption have previously had cruelty complaints made against them, as well as previously owned and surrendered animals. Smith expressed regret over the current condition of not having a national database that stores information relating to pet owners and each organization using different databases, which is making tracking of people almost impossible. However, to prevent animal cruelty and match suitable animals to owners, an array of questions relating to the customer is asked, such as details surrounding their home life, people in the home, and expectations from the animals to gauge their circumstances as best as possible.
In addition to vet clinic service and adoption, Smith emphasized education and explained that one of AWL’s main goals is to continuously educate the general public on responsible pet ownership and teach them how to provide a high level of welfare to animals, and AWL is developing its educational system more than ever.
“Our education includes advising people about general pet care including vet services such as the importance of vaccination and desexing, appropriate weights for animals, appropriate housing, and psychological health to fulfill the needs and drives of each animal,” Smith said.
AWL NSW is also running online education programs via its online website both for foster carers and the general public. For foster carers, volunteering carers who provide temporary homes for animals while they are waiting for their new home, AWL NSW provides resources relating to animals’ health, behavior, training, and general animal information. For the general public, educational resources which are called “Pet Advice” on the official website are provided and they also can access information for foster carers. Furthermore, AWL NSW is currently working on educational videos for the general public to know more about animal caring and welfare, and a new software program with educational tools available to all people who adopt animals from AWL NSW is in the development process.
“Highlighting the importance of animal welfare is a global issue and needs to be addressed on a global scale,” Smith stressed. “The current situation after the pandemic of homeless pets continues to get worse and the public is still very unaware of how to appropriately treat animals. Therefore, it is crucial to provide information and education that is available for people from all walks of life to access, and to educate people wherever possible in a bid to keep animals in their homes.”
AWARE for animal welfare awareness, research, and education
Alongside official action by government agencies to improve animals’ rights, the recent rise of interest in companion animals and animal welfare has given rise to various movements and private organizations within South Korea to improve the status quo.
In particular, AWARE, an animal welfare research institute in South Korea, has been working to build awareness about all types of animals within the country.
Hyung Ju Lee, Chief Executive and founder of AWARE, shared her thoughts on South Korea’s animal welfare and provided a vision for the future.
Using her experience of working as a policy director at animal rights organizations within Korea and executive director at the international organization Cruelty Free International, Lee founded AWARE in 2017 to change the current policies related to animal welfare.
Under this established goal, the institute aims to guarantee a certain degree of animal welfare systematically.
“Just like human welfare, animal welfare refers to the state animals are in,” Lee said. “Welfare means not just to avoid the bad but also experience the positive. In order to do this, it is necessary to set a minimal system for animals to receive positive experiences. As a result, AWARE aims to gradually raise this standard.”
Delving deeper into the practical actions of the institute, Lee explained that policy research is the most significant part of the job for those at AWARE. Lee and her fellow workers conduct research projects independently as well as jointly with the government. Some examples include production and utilization of welfare measuring instruments for farm animals such as pigs, animal welfare problems in various animal exhibition facilities, and the development of tools to assess the welfare status of animals in abandoned animal shelters.
When asked about the ideal level of animal welfare that should be achieved in South Korea, Lee answered that it would be ideal if humans did not use animals at all. However, since this is not feasible, she hopes that the same or at least similar standards applied to humans can be done for animals as well.
Lee explained that there is a problem of social awareness in that some do not consider animals to be conscious beings like humans. The major and minor problems that occur due to this type of difference in awareness among people lead to greater conflict, revealing the importance of further awareness-raising.
Beyond the social problem, there is also the legal dimension. Although there are various national laws dealing with animals, Lee believes that they lack coherence. As such, she stressed that while it may be difficult to change the actual legal status of animals, a common value in the law of treating animals based on animal welfare principles is needed.
Australia offers an example of such recognition. There, animals are legally defined as possessions just like in South Korea, yet the obligations of animal breeders and punishments imposed for failure to comply are specified to prevent animal abuse based on the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act and the Companion Animals Act.
In particular, Lee elaborated that many people think that animal welfare has been properly carried out when there is no animal abuse or cruelty. Be that as it may, it is necessary to think more deeply about what animal welfare actually means. Since there is nothing that an animal under the management of humans can choose, Lee stressed that it should be mandatory for those responsible to guarantee a certain level of quality for the animal’s life.
“There is no country where animal welfare has been completely achieved, and the concept of animal welfare itself is still new,” Lee explained. “However, as many people are interested in the topic and many discussions are taking place, I believe that we are working towards a better future.”
Korean Animal Welfare Association calls for better future for all animals
The Korean Animal Welfare Association has also been working towards similar goals for the past 20 years. Established in 2001, the association is one of the oldest animal rights organizations in South Korea today, still actively working under the mission to reduce the number and species of animals used by humans.
Chae Iltaek, head of policy team at the Korean Animal Welfare Association with seven years of experience, introduced the association’s works and shared his thoughts on South Korea’s animal welfare and its path for improvement.
The main goal of the association is to reduce the pain of all types of animals, ranging from pets to those in exhibition artifacts and farms, under the heading mission. In order to achieve these goals, the association holds campaigns to increase citizens’ awareness, undergoes field surveys, and presents policies for improvement. In addition, efforts are made to give pressure on the government so that the objectives can actually be carried out.
In terms of companion animals, the association intervenes in all processes including production, breeding, sales and adoption, and raising of the animals. Efforts to make improvements related to the lifestyles and veterinary care of the animals are carried out as well.
“To pick some of the most outstanding projects, I would say our work to establish infrastructure in providing the substantial institutional and environmental conditions for animals to live with people,” Chae said. “One part we have been focusing on for a long time is to build an animal abuse response manual, and we are taking into account various international cases that South Korea can learn from.”
South Korea currently does not have a precise manual for the police and other institutional members to act in the case of an animal cruelty incident. As such, many cases are not proceeded effectively, not to mention the fact that there is not even an exact manual for rescued animals. In order to ameliorate the situations, the Korean Animal Welfare Association has been studying cases of England, the United States, and Australia — where members of some animal welfare associations have been given the equivalent of the judicial police to effectively proceed the cases.
Although it may be difficult for South Korea to exactly copy the foreign cases due to the differences in culture and system, Chae emphasized that the association is working to benchmark the manuals of various sectors — not only for the cases of animal abuse, but also for veterinary forensics and more.
“Just as the definition of human rights has changed over time, it is difficult to define nor to expect a ‘flawless’ guarantee of animal rights,” Chae said. “However, as animals in South Korea still show a lack of legal status, I believe it is most important to take into account foreign cases of improved animal status and steadily change the perception of people.”
Chae discussed some positive changes related to animal welfare he has been witnessing in the country for the past few years. Looking at the results of the survey conducted by the government related to animal protection awareness, a significant increase was shown in people relating to the need for animal welfare. There were more people who were willing to spend their money to improve the current situation. Not only this, but there has also been more supporters for the actions of the Korean Animal Welfare Association itself, and to add, the government’s reaction to laws and policies related to animal welfare has been faster, with an increased number of proposals to amend the Animal Protection Act.
“Of course, it is still true that our country has a long way to go in terms of animal welfare, especially in improving the situation for animals other than companion animals,” Chae said. “However, the gap between Korea and other countries advancing in animal welfare has been becoming smaller, and I look forward to a society with highly improved awareness, and as a result, a better place for both humans and animals to live.”