[Seoul Zoo]
As stray cats abandoned by their masters become a social problem in urban areas, Seoulites are locked in debate over if they should be adopted as city animals or face eradication as a public nuisance.
Seoul Zoo in southern Seoul shared the same problem with dozens of stray cats living as wildlings in its premises. Instead of expelling them, zoo managers have decided to adopt them.
[Seoul Zoo]
Zoo officials captured 51 stray cats that depended on food provided by visitors and garbage cans when their work site was shut down for four months from December at the height of a bird flu outbreak. In captivity, the cats were inserted with microchips, neutralized and vaccinated. After the zoo returned to normal, the felines were let loose, carrying brown and red necklaces to identify their sex.
[Seoul Zoo]
Ten feeding stations were set up for regular health checks, vaccination and anthelmintic treatment. Zoo officials have conducted a research to record the movement of male cats.
Park Sae-jin = swatchsjp@ajunews.com
reporter
박세진
swatchsjp@ajunews.com
