Gyeonggi-do Invests 30.6 Billion KRW in Protection and Welfare of Companion Animals and Stray Cats

Promotion of 33 Projects in 4 Major Areas This Year
Strengthening Crackdown on Animal Abuse and Business Establishments

2021 Animal Protection and Welfare Policy Online Press Conference [Provided by Gyeonggi-do]

[Asia Economy Reporter La Youngcheol] Gyeonggi Province plans to invest a total budget of 30.6 billion KRW this year in 33 projects across four major areas related to animal protection and welfare policies.

On the 3rd, Gyeonggi Province held an online press conference at the northern government office building and announced the "2021 Animal Protection and Welfare Policy Promotion Plan" containing these details.

The four major areas of projects to be promoted this year by the province are ▲ prevention of abandoned animals and establishment of a systematic animal protection management system ▲ fostering an adoption culture to minimize euthanasia of lost and abandoned animals ▲ establishment of a culture where humans and animals coexist ▲ operation of a wildlife rescue center for wildlife rescue, treatment, and education.

Among these, seven new projects have been included: ▲ medical services for pets in vulnerable care households ▲ animal rescue and management in disaster and emergency situations ▲ animal protection education programs for kindergarteners ▲ opening and operation of the Northern Wildlife Rescue Management Center ▲ expansion of pet adoption centers ▲ research on the habitat status and management standards for stray cats ▲ and establishment of an animal protection and welfare platform. The total expected cost is 30.6 billion KRW, including 17.2 billion KRW from provincial funds, 1.8 billion KRW from national funds, and 11.6 billion KRW from city and county funds.

A total of 9.5 billion KRW will be invested in eight projects including improving the management level of lost and abandoned animals, supporting costs for animal registration, supporting neutering surgery costs for yard dogs, and building an animal protection and welfare platform.

As a new project, the province plans to promote the construction of an online "Animal Protection and Welfare Platform" that integrates and provides information on animal protection-related facilities operated by the province, such as the helper dog sharing center, pet adoption centers, and wildlife rescue centers.

They also decided to invest 11 billion KRW in projects including the creation of a pet theme park, temporary protection system for lost and abandoned animals, activation of pet adoption, and operation and establishment of a pet adoption culture center.

A systematic operation plan for the pet theme park, which is currently under construction with a completion target of 2022, will be established within this year. The pet adoption center, a hub for spreading the urban abandoned animal adoption culture that opened last year, will be additionally expanded.

They will invest 4.5 billion KRW in 13 projects including support for neutering surgery costs for stray cats and the creation of dog playgrounds, and as a new project, implement 'Medical Services Support for Pets in Vulnerable Care Households' which provides vaccinations, deworming, neutering surgery, and foster care support for vulnerable households.

Additionally, they introduced the 'Animal Rescue and Management in Disaster and Emergency Situations' project, which operates an emergency relief fund of 100 million KRW to quickly rescue animals from unexpected disaster situations or animal abuse scenes.

They plan to invest 2.5 billion KRW in four projects including the construction of a wildlife ecological observation center and the Gyeonggi Northern Wildlife Conservation Learning Center, focusing on building infrastructure dedicated to wildlife rescue, protection, and ecological education.

Kim Seongsik, Director of the Livestock and Forestry Bureau, stated, "We will continue to communicate with related experts and residents to ensure that future projects are implemented solidly, and strengthen inspections and enforcement regarding business sites, animal registration, and the obligation to manage pet owners' safety to ensure the system is well established."

Meanwhile, as of December last year, the number of registered pets in Gyeonggi Province was about 690,000, accounting for 29% of the nationwide total of approximately 2.37 million.