Animal cafe 'illegal' starting from 14th of this month... Raccoon and meerkat, fear of abuse and abandonment = South Korea

In South Korea, a bill to amend the Enforcement Order of the Wildlife Law for animal welfare was approved at the State Council on the 5th, and animal cafes where you can see rare animals such as raccoons and meerkats will be opened from next week.
becomes illegal. If a business owner requests a grace period, they will be given a grace period of four years, but some have pointed out that more detailed measures are needed to prevent abuse and abandonment that may occur in the future.
When E-Daily visited animal cafes in and around Seoul on the 6th, the day after the ``Wildlife Law Enforcement Ordinance Amendment Bill'' was approved, the animal cafes looked the same as usual. this
At the animal cafe I visited that day, I could see visitors interacting with the animals. The exotic animals at the animal cafe are mainly non-aggressive and gentle, such as rabbits, raccoons, and meerkats. part
To attract families with children, some establishments are adding experiential content such as feeding activities. This unique animal cafe specializes in birds and reptiles.
There is also a time. Mr. A, a citizen who visited the rabbit cafe that day, said, ``My 7-year-old child likes interacting with animals, so I visit there occasionally.'' Unique animals such as raccoons and meerkats
Couples who visited the cafe where they could see the animals kept saying ``cute'' while taking pictures of the animals they were seeing for the first time. However, from now on, it will be illegal to operate such animal cafes. new
According to the new enforcement order, exhibiting wild animals will be prohibited from the 14th in places other than already registered zoos and aquariums. If you are a business owner who already owns wild animals, you can
If you apply for a grace period by the 3rd, you will be able to operate for up to 4 years. After that, if you violate the relevant regulations, you will be sentenced to up to two years in prison and a fine of up to 20 million won.
Animal cafes have become popular and have been cited as popular date courses, but some have continued to point out that they are ``animal abuse''. Also,
Some expressed concern about the ``management holes'' that occur in the operations of registered stores. According to the Korea Animal Welfare Research Institute attached to Solidarity for Animal Freedom, the ``Survey on the actual conditions of the breeding environment in exhibition and hands-on animal facilities'' shows that as of May this year, the domestic total of 3.
Of the 00 animal exhibition and experience facilities, 70.7% (212) are unregistered. Out of 1,511 mammals, 1 in 10 (10.3
%) was observed. Some mammals were provided with contaminated water (29.8%) or no shelter (65.8%).
The purpose of the proposed amendment to the Wildlife Law Enforcement Order is to prevent animal abuse.
Despite this, concerns have been raised that businesses that go out of business may abandon animals. In fact, when a rare animal cafe went out of business, Miaki, a raccoon kept by an individual without permission,
There have been many cases where cats and other animals have been abandoned and found in urban areas. Mr. B, the owner of an animal cafe, said, ``We have already declared and operated the animal cafe, and the animals have been implanted with recognition chips.
"We will continue to live together," he said, adding, "Illegal and unregistered shops will become a problem."