Nowadays, animal rights and welfare are in the spotlight as a number of incidents related to animal abuse have become the talk of the town. One major problem, not excluding abuse, is abandonment. Under Article 45 of the Animal Protection Act, The ministry of Agriculture, and 'Food and Rural Affairs' publishes items related to abandoned animals every year.

▲ Lots of puppies abandoned by their owners - fixabay.com

According to them, the number of abandoned animals is increasing, especially on holidays such as Thanksgiving and New Year's Day. Last year, around the Thanks Giving Day, 2,383 abandoned animals were registered from Sept. 20th to 27th, and 644 were abandoned just a day after the holiday. Although these abandoned animals have been rescued, it does not mean that they will return to their owners' or live happily ever after. Only 13 percent go back to their owners, 23.9 percent died of natural causes and 20.2 percent are euthanized.

Under the current law, animal abandonment is subject to the disposal of a penalty of less than 3 million won, but it is difficult to prove. Unlike the fine, the police cannot launch an investigation as the general rules of Criminal Law do not apply. In addition, local governments cannot enforce this law because they have no investigative authority. Due to a lack of manpower dedicated to animal protection, the crackdown is not being carried out properly. According to the data released by the Ministry of Agriculture, 'Food and Rural Affairs' and Quarantine headquarters, only 15 cases of animal abandonment were detected nationwide.

Several alternatives have been proposed, such as raising the penalty, pet registration system, and expanding the task force. But, what is more important is to have an awareness of animal responsibility and educating the populace on animal abandonment as a crime, which would be the most effective way to prevent abandonment. In today's day and age, 10 million families live with pets, but people's perceptions have not changed yet. The fundamental causes and solutions must be considered to put a stop to animal abandonment.

by Seo-yun Go