"Deceived with 'Sending for Adoption,' Received 1 Million Won per Animal
Abandoned and Fled When Unable to Handle Animals"
Three people in their 20s who abandoned dozens of dogs and cats after being unable to care for the animals while operating an unlicensed pet shop were caught by the police.
According to a Yonhap News report on the 10th, the Gwangju Police Station in Gyeonggi Province and the Yangpyeong Police Station announced that they recently apprehended the three suspects, including Mr. A, in Suncheon, Jeollanam-do, and Changwon, Gyeongsangnam-do.
Mr. A and the others were running an unlicensed pet shop together in Gwangju, Gyeonggi Province. According to the police investigation, they told owners who found it difficult to continue caring for their pets that they would "protect the animals" or "find them adoptive homes," charging tens of thousands to up to 1 million won per animal. After taking the animals, they abandoned them and fled when they could no longer care for them.
The appearance of the unauthorized pet shop discovered last February. The interior is filled with animal excrement and trash. [Photo by Yonhap News]
Their animal abuse was revealed in February when a 112 emergency call reported, "Dozens of animals are being neglected in a pet shop. They need to be rescued immediately." At that time, a whistleblower who had visited the pet shop to find Mr. A for a separate case discovered the neglected dogs and cats inside and reported it to the police. The whistleblower said, "I was shocked to see animals that appeared to have been neglected inside the pet shop for a long time and reported it," adding, "The situation was so severe, with mutilated animal carcasses found inside, that we began rescue efforts together with an animal protection organization."
At the time of discovery, the pet shop, consisting of two rooms and one bathroom, had 40 to 50 abandoned dogs and cats, and the interior was filled with animal excrement. Animal carcasses believed to have died on site were also found, some of which appeared to have been mutilated by other animals. The pet shop was revealed to be an unlicensed facility not authorized by the authorities.
On the 5th, the police arrested Mr. A and others, who had been wanted for violating the Animal Protection Act, in Suncheon, Jeollanam-do. In addition to neglecting the animals, Mr. A and the others are also accused of fraud for deceiving pet owners by claiming their animals were injured and needed treatment, then embezzling the treatment fees. The police have detained them on fraud charges and are investigating additional offenses.
© The Asia Business Daily(www.asiae.co.kr). All rights reserved.
