BORYEONG, Jan. 23 (Korea Bizwire) – A herd of wild black goats are back where they belong thanks to a coast guard vessel that intercepted a fishing boat carrying the poached animals from their island home to market on the mainland.
On January 22, the coast guard office of Boryeong, South Chungcheong Province, stated that it had arrested three individuals on charges of illicitly capturing the wild animals, and that these individuals were currently under investigation.
According to the coast guard, at 1:40 p.m. on January 19, the three individuals were on their way back from the island where they had captured the goats when their boat was spotted by a coast guard vessel.
Authorities said that 7 of the 57 goats captured were kids. The investigation revealed that the poachers were planning to sell the entire herd to a traditional remedies maker.
The coast guard, with assistance from related agencies, successfully returned the goats back to their home island on January 20.
The goats are believed to have been brought to the island by their owner, who, after leaving them to graze, never returned to reclaim them.
S.B.W. (sbw266@koreabizwire.com)