As the temperature rises, so does the number of abandoned animals

Dozens of dogs started barking at once when the gate was unlatched at an animal shelter in Goyang, Gyeonggi, on Sunday afternoon. Seventy-five dogs live there, including several recent arrivals rescued after being left outside during the summer heat.

Two of those arrivals, Cheolsu and Malgeum, were rescued earlier this month from Michuhol District in Incheon and Namyangju, Gyeonggi, respectively. Both had been neglected outdoors as daytime highs in the greater Seoul area, which includes Gyeonggi, approached 40 degrees Celsius (104 degrees Fahrenheit) and asphalt surface temperatures neared 50 degrees Celsius. Their owners consented to the rescues.

The Angel Project, the animal protection group that runs the shelter, also rescued 18 dogs earlier this month from a pet shop in Gangdong District, eastern Seoul, and took them to a veterinary hospital.

Animal rescuers say summer brings the highest number of lost or abandoned animals in Korea, while heat waves and torrential rain make outdoor neglect more dangerous. Animals left outside may have little chance to escape extreme temperatures or flooding on their own.

"When we rescued the dogs, daytime highs were close to 38 degrees Celsius, but the shop had no proper air conditioning and the water bowls in the cages were dry," Kim Hye-yeon, head of Angel Project, said. "Some of the dogs were dehydrated from the heat, and in some cases wounds had festered in the high temperatures and toes had to be amputated."

The national animal protection information system run by the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs recorded 17,360 lost or abandoned animals in June and July this year alone. Of the 95,685 recorded last year, 26,753 were found from June through August. The summer total represented 27.9 percent of the annual figure.

Summer has accounted for 27 to 28 percent of rescues in each of the past three years, the largest share of any season.

Shelters also treat the summer holiday period as an emergency stretch.

"In summer, visitors who come for local festivals or stay at vacation rentals sometimes leave their pets along highways or at festival grounds, so we stay especially alert," Gang Da-hae, an independent animal rescuer who works at a shelter in Yesan, South Chungcheong, said. "When we go out on rescue calls, we often find abandoned animals even during extreme heat. It feels like two or three times as many as usual."

The Yesan shelter has taken in about 30 lost or abandoned animals over the past two months, according to Gang.

Animals left outdoors face another threat even as the worst of the heat eases. Heavy rain and flooding can leave them exposed to a different kind of danger.

The Ministry of the Interior and Safety activated the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters at Level 1 at 6 a.m. on Monday after heavy rain advisories were issued for Busan, South Gyeongsang and Jeju.

Mokpo received 66.4 millimeters (2.61 inches) of rain in one hour on Sunday. 

Experts say authorities need stronger legal tools to intervene before neglect during extreme weather becomes life-threatening.

"Current law treats most requirements for proper care and management as 'reasonable effort' responsibilities, while local governments and other authorities are not intervening actively either," Jo Gyeong, a professor of animal welfare at Busan Health University, said. "Rather than waiting until animals left in extreme heat or cold die or suffer serious harm, the system should be strengthened so dedicated animal management bodies can intervene earlier."

BY NOH YU-RIM [cho.yongjun1@joongang.co.kr]