Local Authorities Step Up to Find New Families for Abandoned Animals

This photo provided by the Gyeonggi Provincial office shows a dog at an animal shelter in Gwangmyeong.

SEOUL, Oct. 11 (Korea Bizwire) — Local authorities are opening up an additional number of pet adoption centers to find new families for abandoned pets.

An abandoned animal adoption center that opened last October in Suwon, Gyeonggi Province has already sent away its 100th animal for adoption in less than a year.

A new pet complex center that opened in Gwangmyeong last month is also being visited by many potential adoptive families.

Traditionally, abandoned dogs are rescued by animal protection facilities run by local authorities, and kept under protection for a certain period. People interested in adopting the protected animals have to visit these facilities directly.

Many of these facilities, however, are only available in certain regions and are located mostly on the outskirts of town, making them less accessible.

In response, Gyeonggi Province and other local authorities decided to set up additional animal protection centers in the heart of the city, establishing two new animal protection centers in Suwon and Gwangmyeong in the last 12 months.

“We plan to set up two additional animal protection centers in Guri and Seongnam by the end of this year,” an official from the provincial office said.

Gyeonggi Province has been receiving more than 20,000 reports of abandoned animals (dogs and cats) each year.

H. M. Kang (hmkang@koreabizwire.com)