What if the owner can't be found... 'Gwanggyo Kkotsaseum' at a Crossroads of Fate

Citizen Attacked with Horn in Park and Caught
If Owner Does Not Appear, Euthanasia Will Be Considered

A deer that appeared in an urban park and walking trail, injuring two citizens with its antlers, was captured four days after its appearance but has not found its owner, so the local government in charge will proceed with a public adoption process. If adoption is not successful, the deer may be euthanized. On the 25th, Yonhap News reported, "The missing animal notice for the deer captured with a tranquilizer gun near a restaurant in Hagwanggyo-dong, Jangan-gu, Suwon-si, Gyeonggi Province on the 9th will expire today."

On the 6th, in Suwon City, Gyeonggi Province, multiple reports were received of citizens being injured after being suddenly pierced by the antlers of a deer. Yonhap News

This deer attacked and injured two citizens with its antlers on the 6th at Gwanggyo Lake Park in Yeongtong-gu and the walking trail around Gwanggyo Reservoir in Jangan-gu. It was confirmed to be an approximately 8-year-old male foreign sika deer. Wild deer are extinct in South Korea. If the owner does not appear by today, ownership will transfer to Suwon City. In that case, Suwon City plans to immediately begin a public adoption process through the National Animal Protection Information System.

The missing and rescued animal will be transferred to the Suwon City Animal Protection Center. Then, through a missing animal notice, a process to find a new owner over 10 days will be conducted. If no adopter appears during this period, the animal will be protected for a certain time before considering euthanasia. The Suwon City Animal Protection Center usually sets the protection period after the missing animal notice to about one year. The center plans to protect the captured deer for about one year while proceeding with the adoption process.

The city is also promoting a plan to provide medical expenses through citizen safety insurance for the two citizens injured in the deer’s attack on their abdomen and legs. Citizen safety insurance is a system where the city and contracted insurance companies pay insurance money to citizens who suffer from fires, safety accidents, and other incidents. Medical expenses, surgery fees, and hospitalization costs up to 1 million KRW can be supported.

Recently, deer have appeared not only in Suwon but also in nearby Uiwang and Gunsan, Jeonbuk. Experts believe that deer raised on farms escaped during mating competition. In particular, male deer secrete a large amount of adrenaline during the mating season in winter. Experts advise that since sensitive deer are likely to perceive anyone approaching within 10 to 20 meters as an enemy and attack, people should hide behind large structures if they encounter a deer.