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2019 Eunoia

The Increasing Number of Abandoned Animals:
What's the Plan?

Jo Min-ji
Many people have probably heard the phrase "Pets are like family or friends." In 2017, the amount of
families raising pets stood at about 28.1 percent, meaning that one out of three or four families had some
kind of pet. Through raising their pets, these people are able to relieve some of the loneliness in their lives.

Picture 1: The number of households with pets Picture 2: The number of abandoned animals

However, the number of abandoned animals1) is increasing with the number of adopted companion
animals. In 2018, the number of rescued or abandoned animals increased 18 percent from 2017 according
to a report by the Animal and Plant Quarantine Agency2). What caused the number of abandoned animals
to increase even though pet adoption has also increased?

The first reason is a lack of a sense of responsibility among owners. As animals grow and get closer
to the ends of their lives, the cost to care for them grows. This cost is financially burdensome and can
be solved easily by dumping the unwanted animal somewhere. Pet shops don’t care about this lack of
responsibility because they allow people to buy new pets by merely paying money for the animal without
any other condition.

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1) abandoned animals 유기동물
2) Animal and Plant Quarantine Agency 농림 축산 검역 본부

23MYEONG-SHIN GIRLS' HIGH SCHOOL