Popular Wildlife Cafes in Korea to Close Completely! What Are the Hygiene Conditions of Pet Cafes?

According to South Korea's "Seoul News" report, the South Korean Ministry of Environment announced on January 13 that to protect animal welfare (a principle that safeguards all animals including farm animals, laboratory animals, companion animals, working animals, entertainment animals, and wildlife), it will completely ban the display of wildlife outside of zoos, including private establishments like wildlife cafés that have become popular in South Korea in recent years.

It is reported that there are currently 159 wildlife cafés in South Korea, housing raccoons, meerkats, servals, owls, fennec foxes, amphibians, reptiles, and other animals. If the relevant legislation is passed, these cafés will cease operations after a 3-4 year grace period, and the animals will be sent to South Korea's National Ecological Park, zoos, and other places for protection.

As cafés featuring common/domestic animals like cats, dogs, pigs, and ducks can no longer satisfy consumers' desire for novelty, special animal-themed cafés/restaurants have become popular in recent years in South Korea, Japan, China, Thailand, and other countries. Raccoons, hedgehogs, alpacas, owls, otters, lizards, and others have become the "employees" of these types of dining establishments.

Negative Impacts on Animal Welfare

In these venues, customers can watch and touch various small animals. However, from an ecological perspective, such indoor environments have significant negative impacts on the animals themselves... Due to long-term confinement in small spaces with minimal activity areas and no shelters, animals find it difficult to escape from persistent customers. They must endure "rough handling" by various customers daily, and even their sleep time is forcibly interrupted for "business operations." Many animals suffer from serious physical and psychological health issues, such as obesity, malnutrition, sleep deprivation, irritability, and depression.

Hygiene and Safety Concerns

Simultaneously, because customers and animals share the same space, dining environments blend with animal living areas, and hygiene conditions in some venues have been criticized... Many consumers who have visited these places report that these establishments have strong animal odors, food and drinks inevitably contain animal hair, and animals sometimes jump onto tables during dining to snatch food... Most people who visit once do not return a second time.

Besides hygiene issues, many people overlook animals' natural characteristics and habits due to their cute appearance, while these establishments also fail to prohibit certain behaviors, leading to frequent incidents of animal attacks/injuries in animal restaurants. These animal "employees" also suffer from neglect by their keepers, and in severe cases, may even experience abuse.

Reported Abuse Cases

Previously, Taiwanese media reported that the owner of an animal café in Taipei was accused of abusing raccoons in the establishment. Consumers complained to animal protection organizations about the café owner hitting raccoons, and former employees provided videos of the owner letting dogs attack raccoons. When the video was released, netizens were outraged! The comment section was filled with angry voices... Afterwards, the café owner issued an apology statement, and the abused raccoons were taken in and cared for by the Taipei Animal Protection Office. Regarding the animal abuse allegations, the owner explained that it was a misunderstanding caused by lack of experience in raising raccoons and unfamiliarity with their habits... (?????????) and stated that they would not keep raccoons in the future.

Beyond these exposed atrocities, simply confining wild animals to non-natural spaces is harmful to them. After all, no matter how much effort is put into renovating residential or commercial environments, they still cannot compare to zoos, let alone their natural habitats.

Reflection on Consumer Responsibility

In addition to problems with business operators themselves, shouldn't consumers also reflect on their own behavior? If people don't go to these places, would there even be a market?

Image source: Internet

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