Puppies sit in a cage at an animal shelter in Sangju, North Gyeongsang Province.Provided by Sangju City Government
According to a recent survey, 4 out of 10 Koreans receive a pet from a friend for free.
Furthermore, 15.7% of pet owners keep pets at home, and the majority give away puppies and kittens to friends for free.
The findings, published by animal welfare advocacy group AWARE, are part of a survey titled “Awareness of Animal Welfare” conducted among 2,000 adults nationwide from December 12 to 17, 2023.
According to the survey, 46.7% of pet owners adopt a pet for free from a friend, which is higher than 14.6% from a pet store, 9.3% from a paid adoption from a friend, and 7.8% from a street rescue.
In particular, the number of people adopting pets free of charge from acquaintances increased by 8.5 percentage points compared to the previous year. Of those who received a pet from an acquaintance, 68.7% adopted the acquaintance's pet. Additionally, 15.7 percent of pet owners reported that their pets gave birth at home within the past five years, and most of the babies were given away for free.
Lee Hyun-joo, CEO of AWARE, said that breeding pets unchecked at home could lead to an increase in the overpopulation of pets, which could result in an increase in the number of abandoned animals. AWARE stated that South Korea has a problem with an excess of pets compared to the demand for pets.
Dogs photographed at an animal shelter in South Korea.korea times file
The problem stems from allowing dogs and cats to breed with little chance of their offspring finding homes, or from owners abandoning their dogs and cats.
“More than 100,000 animals are lost or abandoned in South Korea every year,” Lee said.
The main reasons for giving up a pet were lifestyle constraints such as frequent outings, business trips, and vacations at 28.8%, higher-than-expected care costs at 25.6%, and time required for care at 22.4%.
“This data supports responsible pet ownership and [knowing the] “This is a result of the overpopulation of pets in South Korea,” Lee said.
An overwhelming 89.3% of respondents agreed with restrictions on the commercial breeding and sale of pets, an increase of 12.6 percentage points from the previous year.
At the same time, 93.3% believe that pet registration should be changed to a renewal system, and 71.1% believe that imposing an annual registration fee or tax on pet owners can effectively increase the sense of responsibility among pet owners. thinking.
This article by Ko Eun-kyung from Hankook Ilbo, a sister publication of The Korea Times, was edited by The Korea Times with the assistance of generative AI.
