SEOUL, Aug. 2 (Korea Bizwire) — The Ministry of Environment announced that it will revise the enforcement regulation of the Wildlife Protection and Management Law to designate the great cormorant as a harmful wild animal within the second half of this year.
Once classified as a harmful species, animals can be captured with the permission of the head of a municipal government.
This change means that using lethal methods to remove eggs or kill the great cormorants would become possible.
Originally a migratory bird only during the winter season, great cormorants can now be observed throughout all four seasons in Korea.
This shift is due to the disappearance of their natural predators and an increase in temperatures caused by climate change.
Fishermen in inland waters have raised complaints about the depletion of aquatic resources caused by the devouring appetite of great cormorants.
The bird is also responsible for the ‘bleaching phenomenon,’ where trees covered by their excrement turn white and eventually die.
Image Credit: Yonhap / photonews@koreabizwire.com
