Decapitated Cat Corpses Found One After Another... Is the 'Stray Cat Tragedy' Alright Like This?

Cat Dismembered Bodies Found Consecutively in Mapo-gu
Expert "Detailed Legal Guidelines Needed"

Photo by Asia Economy DB

[Asia Economy Reporter Heo Midam] Recently, in Mapo-gu, Seoul, a series of cat carcasses with separated heads and bodies have been found, sparking controversy. Previously, there have been cruel abuses such as shooting stray cats with lethal arrows and deliberately smearing rat poison on cat food, and these acts of cruelty have been steadily increasing. However, there are criticisms that the punishments for these acts are too lenient. Experts have called for the establishment of detailed legal guidelines.

According to the Mapo Police Station on the 4th, in the past month, brutally mutilated cat carcasses were repeatedly found in commercial areas and parking lots within Mapo-gu. The police are tracking suspects on charges of violating the Animal Protection Act.

According to the Animal Freedom Union, which received the report of the incident, on May 19th, a cat carcass with a mutilated torso was found in an apartment parking lot in Mapo-gu. In the vicinity of the complex where the incident occurred, stray cats were also found brutally killed in 2018 and 2019.

This is not the first malicious crime against stray cats. Previously, in May last year, in Gunsan, Jeonbuk, a man in his 40s shot an arrow into the head of a stray cat. The man reportedly told the police, "I did it to chase the cat away." The cat survived but lost sight in one eye.

Animal abuse cases are increasing every year. According to the 'Status of Prosecution and Referral for Violation of the Animal Protection Act' submitted by Kim Byung-kwan, a member of the Democratic Party of Korea, to the National Police Agency in October last year, the number of people prosecuted and referred for violating the Animal Protection Act increased 2.2 times from 262 in 2014 to 592 in 2018 over five years.

The problem lies in the mild punishments for offenders. From 2014 to 2018, a total of 1,908 people were prosecuted and referred for violating the Animal Protection Act, but only three were detained and prosecuted. Even those received fines or suspended sentences.

In 2018, a man in his 70s who killed about 1,000 stray cats was caught by the police, but punishment was impossible because no cat carcasses were found at the scene.

The man deliberately smeared rat poison on chicken and fish to kill stray cats. At the time, the police confirmed that the man admitted his wrongdoing and even took out the food smeared with rat poison, but since no cat carcasses were found at the scene, they stated that he could not be punished for abuse under the Animal Protection Act.

Photo by Yonhap News

As malicious crimes against animals increase, the government has decided to strengthen the punishment regulations for animal abuse. Under the current Animal Protection Act, abusing an animal to death is punishable by up to two years in prison or a fine of up to 20 million won. However, starting next year, the government plans to strengthen the punishment regulations so that abusing an animal to death can result in up to three years of imprisonment.

Nevertheless, there are still criticisms that the level of punishment is low compared to overseas standards.

In the United States, although it varies by state, animal abuse can result in up to 10 years of imprisonment and fines of up to $500,000 (approximately 590 million won). In fact, in 2015, a Nevada court sentenced a 28-year-old man who abused seven dogs and cats to four years per animal, totaling 28 years in prison.

Switzerland imposes up to three years of imprisonment or a minimum fine of 20,000 francs (approximately 23.96 million won) for violating the Animal Protection Act, with fines varying according to property, and can impose up to 1 million francs (approximately 1.1983 billion won).

Experts have suggested the need to establish detailed legal guidelines related to the punishment of animal abuse.

Professor Kim Seong-ho of the Department of Social Welfare at Korea Bible University analyzed, "Cases where animal abuse leads to punishment are rare. Especially for stray cats, since they have no owners, reports and investigations are not well conducted. Also, to punish, the causal relationship regarding the animal's death must be proven, which is not easy to clarify."

He continued, "The stray cat abuse incident that occurred in Mapo-gu is a crime that will come as a great shock to those who love animals. Therefore, it must be punished more strictly," emphasizing, "It is important to establish detailed guidelines for law enforcement along with a strong will for investigation."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.