A civic task force opposing the theme park said Wednesday that it found stag beetles while working on repairing banners across the road from its intended business site during the day on Tuesday. (image: Civic Group)
JEJU, Jul. 11 (Korea Bizwire) — An endangered species has been found near the planned site of the Jeju Animal Theme Park project, raising calls for a precise ecological survey to be carried out.
A task force opposing the theme park said Wednesday that it found stag beetles while working on repairing banners across the road from its intended business site during the day on Tuesday.
Stag beetles can only be found on Jeju Island in South Korea.
Due to habitat destruction and reckless overfishing, Jeju Island has also seen a significant decrease in its Stag beetle population, which has been designated as a Endangered Wildlife Class II by the Ministry of Environment.
“The Youngsan River Environmental Management Office and Jeju Island, which are responsible for protecting endangered species in the province, should conduct a thorough ecological study on the potential location and vicinity of the theme park project to find out if there are any endangered species,” the task force said.
The Jeju Animal Theme Park is a project to create observation facilities for wild animals, including lions, tigers and European bull bears, as well as breeding facilities and animal hospitals near Gotjawal forest in Jeju City.
Regarding the project, residents and the task force are calling for a halt through press conferences and one-man protests, calling it a project to destroy the UNESCO World Heritage Village.
Lina Jang (linajang@koreabizwire.com)
