"Are the Dogs on TV Cute?" Animal Rights Violation Controversy [Kim Suwan's Animal Report]

Lack of Management and Supervision System for Animals on Set
Experts Say "Poor Animal Care on Filming Sites Is Animal Abuse"

At a pet cafe in Seoul, dogs are playing while watching DOG TV, a digital cable channel for dogs. The photo is unrelated to specific expressions in the article. Photo by Yonhap News.

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Suwan] As awareness of animals and animal rights increases, the number of animals appearing in broadcasts such as dramas and advertisements is rising, but the welfare of these animals remains at a poor level. Due to the lack of a management and supervision system for animals, criticism has emerged questioning whether animal rights are being violated. Experts have pointed out that poor management of animals used in filming, such as advertisements, constitutes animal abuse.

The TV entertainment program "Nyaong-eun Fake-da," which aired in January and focused on living with companion cats, was embroiled in controversy immediately after its first broadcast. In the episode, a cat was shown vomiting while being transported in an inappropriate carrier, and several issues arose, including improper methods of introducing cats to each other.

Following this, online communities and viewer boards were flooded with criticism such as, "They are treating the cats like dolls without even basic knowledge about them. The production team is even neglecting this," "It seems they did no related study despite featuring animals," and "The cats must be stressed." The criticism highlighted the failure to properly manage the cats, which are sensitive animals prone to stress.

Moreover, the production team adopted a stray cat named Bongdari through the cat rescue and protection organization 'Nabiya Saranghae' but problems occurred during this process as well. The adopter was different from the party responsible, and the stray cats lived not at the adopter's residence but at a temporary filming location.

In response, 'Nabiya Saranghae' claimed that the production team falsified the adoption contract and demanded the return of the adopted stray cat.

Animals appearing in movies, dramas, advertisements, and other TV programs are exposed to various stresses such as enduring intense filming schedules on set, but the management system is found to be inadequate.

According to a survey conducted by the animal rights organization KARA in June targeting workers in film, broadcasting, and new media industries about the welfare status of animals on filming sites, the routes for hiring animal actors were found to be 'rented from animal filming specialized companies' (44%) and 'hired from staff or acquaintances’ pets' (25%).

Additionally, the handling status of animals that were 'purchased or captured' for filming was reported as △'sent for adoption' (22%), △'resold to companies' (16%), △'unknown' (8%), and △'deceased' (3%).

Animals appearing in movies, dramas, commercials, and other TV programs are exposed to various stresses, including enduring intense shooting schedules on set. The photo is unrelated to specific expressions in the article. Photo by Yonhap News.

After filming, most companion animals such as dogs and cats return to their owners or are adopted, but for fish, birds, or wild animals, their affiliation is unclear, so they are mostly deceased, released, or resold.

In particular, 65% of respondents with experience in animal filming answered that filming was conducted without guidelines. It was also rare for the location of a nearby animal hospital to be identified in advance to prepare for emergencies during filming.

As a result, there are calls for the establishment of management systems for animals appearing on screen and guidelines for production teams. When animals appear, minimum regulations such as sufficient time, safe locations, and mandatory placement of experts are necessary, and a system should be established where violations are subject to penalties.

Experts emphasized that causing physical pain and stress to animals on filming sites can be punishable as animal abuse.

Attorney Kwon Hyunjung of the animal rights research lawyer group PNR stated, "According to the current Animal Protection Act, any act that causes physical pain and stress to animals without justifiable reason is defined as animal abuse," adding, "Animals inevitably experience extreme stress on filming sites because the actions are unnatural to them." Attorney Kwon further noted, "If this leads to health problems for the animals, it can also be punishable as animal abuse."