LG Uplus to Strengthen Rescue Efforts for Pets in Disaster Areas... Enhancing Relief Activities

Establishment of Specialized Rescue Shelters for Companion Animals in Wildfire Areas
"Family to Disaster Victims... Strengthening Care and Protection"

LG Uplus and the Animal Freedom Coalition announced on the 13th that they have decided to further strengthen their activities based on the results of rescue efforts for companion animals in disaster areas.

From the 23rd of last month to the 4th of this month, LG Uplus and the Animal Freedom Coalition rescued 36 companion animals, including dogs and cats, from wildfire-affected areas such as Sancheong-gun in Gyeongnam, and Uiseong-gun, Yeongdeok-gun, and Andong-si in Gyeongbuk. They transported the animals to hospitals and set up a specialized rescue shelter for companion animals near Uiseong Gymnasium to provide care activities.

Currently, companion animals are not allowed to enter temporary shelters prepared for disaster victims. Due to the sudden nature of disasters, it is difficult to establish separate facilities for animals, leaving companion animal rescue in a blind spot outside the formal system.

In response, LG Uplus employees, Animal Freedom Coalition activists, activists from the educational cooperative Seum, and volunteer students from the Companion Animal Department of Yeonam University built a specialized rescue shelter for companion animals covering about 20 pyeong (approximately 66 square meters) in the outdoor space of Uiseong Gymnasium to protect the animals. They also decided to identify improvements and strengthen related activities to enable smoother operation of animal-specialized rescue shelters in the future.

They plan to coordinate with regional base animal hospitals to enable rapid animal rescue and treatment regardless of the disaster area. They are also considering providing animal emergency care training to activists so that minor injuries can be treated at the specialized rescue shelters.

Furthermore, to minimize variables in animal rescue caused by weather conditions such as heat or cold, they plan to increase cooperation with local governments to allow operation indoors as well.

Lee Myung-seop, head of the ESG Promotion Team at LG Uplus, said, "Since companion animals are family to disaster victims, we will continue to strive to ensure they receive necessary care and protection during evacuation." Jo Hee-kyung, representative of the Animal Freedom Coalition, stated, "Animals in disaster situations are lives that deserve protection just like humans, so more attention and policy support are needed."