From burned forests to abandoned homes, many creatures have been left stranded or injured as flames tore through their habitats and communities. (Image created by AI/ChatGPT)
SEOUL, March 29 (Korea Bizwire) — As South Korea reels from its worst-ever simultaneous wildfires, with widespread displacement and loss of life, animals—both wild and domestic—have become silent victims of the unfolding disaster.
From burned forests to abandoned homes, many creatures have been left stranded or injured as flames tore through their habitats and communities.
Animal welfare organizations, including Life and three other groups, have been conducting emergency rescue operations in hard-hit North Gyeongsang Province since March 23. As of Thursday, they had rescued approximately 40 animals, including dogs, cats, and goats—some severely burned or left behind during evacuations.
Among the rescues were a mother dog and her puppies, still tethered and scorched by flames; a pregnant dog and 19 newborn pups; and a cat and goat suffering from full-body burns.
A dog that was once white has changed like this. On March 27, in front of a scrapyard in Icheon-ri, Namseon-myeon, Andong City, North Gyeongsang Province, a white dog stands covered in ash from the fire, its entire body turned black. (Yonhap)
At an illegal dog farm discovered in the mountains, over 100 dogs were found abandoned in smoke-filled conditions. However, only some could be rescued due to the owner’s refusal to surrender them.
Norang-i
One particularly emotional case involved a 79-year-old man in Sancheong, who was forced to send his dog, Norang-i, back home after an evacuation shelter prohibited pets.
According to South Korea’s disaster shelter guidelines, only service animals are allowed in government-run emergency shelters, leaving evacuees to house pets in cars or with relatives.
Distressed, the man was eventually helped by animal rights group Coexistence of Animal Rights on Earth (CARE), which rescued the dog and brought it to a veterinary hospital.
“During the day, the fire would die down, but at night it flared up again,” the man said, expressing deep relief that Norang-i had been saved.
A burn-injured cat rescued in Yeongdeok (Image provided by Korean Animal Welfare Association)
Animal groups are now operating temporary shelters near evacuation sites, including one set up outside Uiseong Gymnasium on March 27 to provide pet care services for evacuees.
A CARE spokesperson noted, “Many people are sleeping in cars with their dogs or struggling to find anyone to watch them. Our pet shelter helps ease that burden.”
These efforts are part of a broader disaster response framework launched last year by CARE in partnership with LG Uplus and international aid group The Promise, aimed at creating pet-specific shelters during disasters such as wildfires, typhoons, and earthquakes.
Despite the existence of a 2022 government-issued Disaster Response Guidelines for Pets, which require pet owners to prepare evacuation plans and emergency kits, activists say implementation remains weak. The guidelines also urge farmers to ensure animals have access to food, water, and open pens for escape.
On March 25, the fourth day of the wildfire in Uiseong County, North Gyeongsang Province, a dog—released by its owner—wanders around singed, as a fire sparked by embers breaks out in Hawha 1-ri, Danchon-myeon. (Yonhap)
Environmental groups warn that wildfires pose grave threats to wildlife. In 2022, fires in Uljin and Samcheok destroyed habitats of endangered long-tailed gorals. In Australia’s 2020 wildfires, more than 30% of the habitat for 113 species—including koalas, frogs, and marsupials—was lost, with some animals pushed to the brink of extinction.
When wildfires struck Los Angeles earlier this year, local shelters took in hundreds of displaced animals. In just four days, one shelter housed nearly 400 animals, including dogs with burned paws and injured peacocks. Emergency crews supplied drinking water to dehydrated livestock amid the scorched terrain.
Animal welfare advocates in Korea are now calling for similar preparedness. “In Los Angeles, even livestock were accommodated during wildfire evacuations,” said a CARE representative. “It’s time for Korea to adopt a disaster system that includes our animals—not just as property, but as family.”
Lina Jang (linajang@koreabizwire.com)
