Searched for the owner through local community networks
Puppy approached and relaxed when the owner arrived on site
A story has emerged about a puppy found injured on the Seoul Dongbu Expressway being rescued by the police after 6 hours.
On the 24th, the National Police Agency's YouTube channel uploaded a video titled "A puppy trembling on the road... Why are you there?" The video shows that at around 3 p.m. on the 10th, a report was received by the police about a puppy dangerously wandering on the Seoul Dongbu Expressway. The police who responded to the call searched the road and found a puppy.
The puppy was wearing a name tag with the name "Baekseolgi" on its collar. This puppy was bleeding from its leg and limping, dangerously roaming around the roadside.
Although the collar had an identification tag, which seemed like it would make it easy to find the owner, Baekseolgi showed extreme wariness toward strangers, making it difficult for the police to capture it. The police carefully followed the puppy without startling it as it ran away, but lost sight of it. Shortly after, Baekseolgi was found again nearby.
Afterward, the police managed traffic on the road and searched social media and local community networks to find Baekseolgi’s owner. They were able to contact the owner through the community, and when the owners arrived at the scene, Baekseolgi finally relaxed its guard. Thanks to the police’s efforts, Baekseolgi was reunited with its owner after 6 hours, and footage was even shared showing them going to the hospital together.
Fortunately, Baekseolgi returned to its owner’s care, but typically, the number of abandoned pets increases around holidays. According to data from the Animal Freedom Coalition, the number of lost and abandoned animals found in 2023 decreased slightly from 112,213 cases to 111,720 cases compared to 2022, but the numbers actually increased immediately after holidays. In February 2023, right after the Lunar New Year holiday (January 21 to January 24), 7,272 lost and abandoned animals were found, a 13.1% increase from the previous year (6,432 cases). In October, right after the Chuseok holiday (September 28 to October 3), 10,312 cases were reported, a 5.2% increase from the previous year (9,799 cases). Animal protection organizations cite the longer absences from home during holidays as a cause. Similarly, in July 2023, a vacation season, the number of lost and abandoned animals rose by 3.8% to 11,618 cases from 11,195 cases the previous year.
In Korea, animal abandonment is punishable under Article 10, Paragraph 4 of the Animal Protection Act. Previously, abandoning an animal resulted only in a fine of up to 3 million won, but after the Animal Protection Act was amended in February 2021, offenders can now be sentenced to a fine of up to 3 million won. Unlike fines, criminal penalties leave a criminal record.
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