Animal shelter in Hwaseong, Gyeonggi, South Korea
I interviewed an animal shelter run by the Gyeonggi Province. Their role is to rescue stray animals and educate them that they are ready for the adoption. Their goal is to reduce the number of abandoned animals.
Did the adoption rate increase during the pandemic?
During the pandemic, about 60 animals were adopted per month. Compared to other months, the adoption rate jumped twice.
What are your concerns about higher adoption rate? possible solutions?
A lot of families in Korea are spending time in their house which disconnects themselves from the community. Especially families with little kids or elders who live by themselves request for adoption. Having a new family in their house can be beneficial for little kids since this grows their social abilities, and for elders, it is beneficial since this can reduce their loneliness when they cannot meet their families. My concern is increased animal adoption rate can result more stray animals. Specifically, in current situations, people impulsively adopt animals just because they spend lots of time at home. However, adopting an animal is a commitment for at lest 15 years or even 20. When people request for adoption we try our best to see if the owners can continue to take care of animals after the pandemic is over. After, we require several visits to build a relationship between an animal and owner. Also, we provide education for owners about how to take care of them.
- Interview with Hyun-Cheol Kim, head director of Gyeonggi Animal center.
I interviewed a Dr. Kang. He started working as a veterinarian for about 20 years. He worked in Denver, Colorado for 3 years, and currently he is working in South Korea. He is a member of Veterinary Society of Korea which allows him to gather with veterinarians in the country or sometimes all around the world.
Do you feel that there is an increase of animal adoption rate?
Yes, definitely. Not only people adopt puppies, people also look for stray animals that are rescued. Many people look for animal adoption event.
As a vet, why do you think people abandon animals?
First, many people get overwhelmed when their pet have a disease. Especially when animals age, they are likely to have a heart or liver disease which needs continuous care for rest of their life. For example, they need to get specific food and treats, visit animal clinics for check ups, feed medicine for least twice a day, and keep track of their health. This can make owners feel overwhelmed in both financial and physical ways.
Second, people abandon animals when they cannot seek any possibilities of healthy human-pet relationship. This means if animals show aggression towards their owner, they have high chance of getting abandoned or euthanized. Also, when animals can not have emotional connection with owners, they are very likely to get abandoned.
What are some solutions that can reduce animal abandonment rate?
To reduce abandonment rate, we need to educate both owners and animals. We need systemic education system before and after adoption. This can educate people, but more than that, it can prove those people are ready to adopt animals and sacrifice their time for education.
I interviewed animal rescuers in South Korea and Canada.
They both rescue animals and vaccinate them until they get adopted.
Do you feel that there is an increase of animal adoption rate?
Yes, Yes, Yes! There are increase request for animals adoptions. We do more commercials through internet websites, Instagram, and Facebook. When we post a video with a puppy, we get hundreds of request for adoption within a day. Even if they live in different state, they request for adoption.
What are your concerns about higher adoption rate? possible solutions?
As an animal rescuer my very concern/threat is meeting those animals (sent to adoptions) back on street. We realize that abandonment rate followed the adoption rate during pandemic. Although we are glad to find these babies their home, we are partly afraid if they might be abandoned. Since we rescue animals, 3 out of 10 puppies, normally, are sick. They might have infection and scars. They can have skin irritation or disease. Sometime they might not see or use their legs to walk. Animals with these handicaps are not popular for adoption, but if they are adopted we try our best to financially support the owners to reduce any possibility of abandoning them because of treatment fees. We make our adoption questionnaire more detailed and we also have interviews with people requested for adoption. We try our best to see if the owners have suitable housing, family members, works, and financials. We HOPE that if animal rescuers and organizations can receive support from the country since this can relate to humans' health and the community. Increase of stray animals can increase possibility of contagious virus and we do not want them to impact humans.