Dogs are watching TV at an animal café. ‘Animal Cafés’ are a new business trend. The cafés are sustained by the entrance fees paid by people who come to see the animals running free. (Image : Yonhap)
Seoul, July 15 (Korea Bizwire) – It has been pointed out that there are no standardized guidelines or regulations regarding ‘Animal Cafes’, which have recently been growing in popularity.
On July 14, Korea Animal Rights Advocates (KARA) hosted a policy debate at the National Assembly Member’s Office with congresswoman Eun-Soo-mi, and congressman Kim Seung-nam of the New Politics Alliance for Democracy.
‘Animal Cafés’ are a new business trend. The cafés are sustained by the entrance fees paid by people who come to see the animals running free.
According to an investigation by KARA, there are 288 Animal Cafés nationwide, and 99 of them are concentrated in the Seoul and Gyeonggi areas.
When sorted by animal type, 191 establishments housed dogs (66 percent), and 78 places had cats (27 percent).Some places had various animals including birds, reptiles and mammals (3 percent), and even a place where they held 90 different kinds of animals.
Based on the basic information collected, KARA selected 20 animal cafés in the capital region and carried out on-the-spot observations regarding sanitation, quarantine facilities and management.
In conclusion, the lack of regulations put the animals in a situation where they couldn’t be protected.
Some animal cafés were selling or breeding the animals.
According to current laws, one needs a license to sell or breed animals, but since the animal cafés are licensed as ordinary cafés, they are in the blind spot of animal protection law.
Also, without standardized guidelines for animal cafés, most of them had difficulties with sanitation and animal management.
KARA officials say, “There are no laws regarding the establishment or management of animal cafés. There is an urgent need for the nation to set laws for animal cafés that suggest efficient administration and regulate inadequate business and management.”
By Lina Jang (linajang@koreabizwire)
