Expert: "Likely Learned by Receiving Food"
On the morning of the 11th, a flock of crows was eyeing a citizen's snack bag in a park in Bonggae-dong, Jeju City. / Photo by Yonhap News
[Asia Economy Intern Reporter Lim Juhyung] In Jeju Island, flocks of crows have been causing continuous damage by attacking people and stealing belongings.
On the 30th of last month, a post was uploaded on the Jeju Provincial Government website's 'Sinmungo' section, reporting that a tourist visiting Saryeoni Forest in Gyorae-ri, Jocheon-eup, Jeju City, was attacked by crows and suffered damage.
The author of the post stated, "At the entrance of Saryeoni Forest, a crow attacked and my wife was injured on the head," and appealed, "No matter how much wildlife is protected, animals that attack people should be classified as harmful wildlife and controlled."
According to the Jeju branch of the Korea Bird Protection Association (Bird Association), since about 2 to 3 years ago, flocks of crows have frequently flown near the entrance of the Saryeoni Forest trail and struck visitors' body parts with their wings or beaks. Some crows were also reported to have attempted to open visitors' bags.
As damage cases continued to occur, Jeju City requested the Bird Association to capture the crows starting from the 5th. Since crows are designated as harmful wildlife, capturing them is possible with administrative approval.
Regarding this, an expert speculated that the crows' behavior might be a result of learning from receiving food from people.
Kang Changwan, head of the Jeju branch of the Bird Association, explained in an interview with 'Yonhap News' on the 11th, "I think the crows have developed this behavior from years of experience where people took food out of their bags and threw it to them," adding, "Crows are very quick-witted and intelligent, so it may take time to capture them."
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