'Animal Catalog' on Elementary School Academy Flyers
Possible Fine Up to 3 Million Won Under Animal Protection Act
A private academy is causing controversy for distributing flyers claiming that students who enroll will receive live animals such as hedgehogs, squirrels, and hamsters as gifts.
On the 23rd, a post titled "Is this academy flyer appropriate?" was uploaded to an online community, drawing attention. The author, Mr. A, shared his story, saying, "My elementary school child brought home a flyer from an academy near the school."
He explained, "The child said, 'If you register at this academy, you can choose a squirrel,' so I thought they meant a toy, but it turned out to be a real animal."
In the photos attached by Mr. A, the flyer states, "Register during the event period and receive the gift you want immediately," showing a catalog of various items children would like, such as toys and celebrity photo books.
However, the flyer also included hedgehogs, squirrels, and hamsters. Nowhere in the product descriptions does it say these are stuffed animals, and the photos are of actual animals.
Mr. A wrote, "I was shocked and speechless that they would give living creatures as gifts. I knew my child was sad because our pet dog recently passed away, but I thought adoption shouldn't be done this way."
He added, "My child wanted to raise a squirrel and even threatened to switch academies, so I explained, 'Life cannot be a gift,' and 'Adopting a pet should be a carefully considered decision.'"
However, when Mr. A showed the flyer to other parents, their opinions differed. He said, "When I said, 'I don't understand how they can give such gifts,' another mother said, 'You just don't have to choose it, so why be so sensitive?'"
He continued, "They told me I was causing trouble. Is it really appropriate for an academy to give live animals as gifts?" he questioned.
Among netizens, reactions included, "How little confidence must they have in their lectures to lure kids with gifts?", "I would never send my child to that academy. The educator is so ignorant," and "Please share the academy information. I want to report them."
Meanwhile, according to the Animal Protection Act, anyone who provides animals as prizes or gifts for gambling, competitions, lotteries, entertainment, advertising, or similar purposes can be fined up to 3 million won.
© The Asia Business Daily(www.asiae.co.kr). All rights reserved.
