The small island of Udo is a “must see” for many visitors to Jeju. But some tourists abandon their dogs at the popular destination, and they sometimes threaten area residents. Joseph? ?Kim has more.




Report

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Udo Island

A truck made a sudden stop with the hazard lights flashing on the narrow road.

That’s the sign for spotting an abandoned dog.

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Authorities capture homeless dogs on Udo Island

The tranquilizer gun is fired from the window of the truck and the dog collapses and becomes incapacitated.

The dog is one of the pets abandoned by a visitor of the beautiful island of Udo.

As the number of stray dogs continues to grow, authorities are catching them.

Stray dogs are a growing threat to the local community.

More than 100 homeless dogs are on the small island. And there are about 200 pet dogs on the island.

They reproduce with residents’ pets and the number of homeless dogs explodes.

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90 dogs caught this year

90 stray dogs have been caught this year. But homeless dogs are still easily spotted.

A local merchant started to take care of two homeless dogs. Now the number exploded to about 30.

INTERVIEW
Park Su-jin / Area resident
Somebody left a box of five puppies in front of my house. I felt obliged to take care of them because they looked so pathetic.
< 박수진 / 우도면 조일리 >
집 앞에다 박스에 강아지 5마리를 담아서 버려놓고 갔더라고요. 그 개를 또 키워야 되고 버릴 수는 없으니까, 안타까우니까...

The homeless dogs welcome tourists but, they are a headache to residents.

INTERVIEW
Yun Hae-in / Area resident
One of my relatives, an old lady, was bitten by a stray dog. Her pants were torn. They are dangerous.
< 윤해인 / 우도면 상인 >
우리 친척 할머니가 (유기견에게) 다리를 물려서 바지가 다 찢어질 정도로 물렸는데 위험하죠.

INTERVIEW
Go Jae-su / Area resident
Dogs sometimes approach me when I’m walking. That makes me hesitate to keep going.
< 고재수 / 우도면 오봉리 >
걸어가면 옆에 있던 개가 달려와. 사람에게 달려드는 건 아닌데 그래도 나는 주춤하지...

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Homeless dogs become aggressive

Some stray dogs become aggressive and occasionally attack livestock or residents.

Jeju City decided to catch the strays in an around the clock effort beginning next year.

INTERVIEW
Kim Mun-yong / Jeju City livestock dept.
Beginning next year, we will dedicate more people and more money to rounding up homeless animals all over the city.
< 김문용 / 제주시 축산과 >
내년부터는 유기견 구조 인력과 예산을 확대해서 제주시 전 지역에 24시간 운영할 계획입니다.

Sadly, “man’s best friend” has become a headache on the island because of irresponsible owners.

[Reporter] Joseph Kim
[Camera] Moon Ho-seong

Jeju City is seeking new owners of the rescued dogs via a 10-day long notice on the city’s website. If a pet can’t find a new owner within the 10 days, it has to face euthanasia.

Joseph Kim, KCTV