Mega Wildfires Threaten Not Only Humans but Also Animal Habitats [Hello? Animal]

Mega Wildfires: Disaster Not Only for Humans but Also for Animals
Pets Unable to Escape Suffer Burn or Suffocation Deaths
Wildlife Faces Extinction Threat Due to Habitat Destruction

A companion dog found by the animal rights organization 'CARE' at the site of the recent wildfire in Gangwon Province. It is presumed to have lost its owner during the evacuation process. / Photo by CARE Instagram capture

[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Juhyung] The massive wildfires that broke out earlier this month, mainly in the Gyeongbuk and Gangwon regions, were harsh natural disasters not only for humans but also for animals. Companion animals that could not escape the flames spreading to residential areas suffered fatal burns, and some became strays separated from their owners. Wild animals living in the hills also endured suffering. Massive wildfires reduce animal populations and destroy ecosystems.

◆Flames threatening residential areas... suffering not only for people but also for companion animals

The wildfires in Uljin, Gyeongbuk, and Samcheok, Gangwon, were barely extinguished around 9 a.m. on the 13th. It took about 210 hours since the fire first started on the 4th.

According to the Korea Forest Service, the fires destroyed a total of 643 sites, including 319 houses, 139 agricultural and livestock facilities, and 154 factories and warehouses. The forest damage also approached record levels. A total of 168,463 hectares (ha) in Uljin and 2,460 ha in Samcheok burned, totaling 170,923 ha of forest. This ranks as the second-largest wildfire since the one that burned about 23,000 ha of forest along the East Coast from April 7 to 15, 2000.

There were no casualties, but 118 people were displaced, and many civilian facilities were damaged. Accordingly, the government declared the adjacent areas where the wildfires occurred as special disaster zones and plans to provide national-level support for damage recovery, restoration, and aid to the displaced.

However, the damage caused by the fire was not limited to humans. Animals living alongside human society also suffered from the flames.

Pets that suffered severe burns during the rescue process. / Photo by CARE Instagram capture

For example, on the 6th, animal rights group 'CARE' reported that hundreds of companion and farm animals were at risk of death or injury as the wildfire approached residential areas.

CARE stated on its official Instagram, "During the Uljin wildfire in Gyeongbuk, dogs abandoned in cages were burned to death as residents hurriedly evacuated." Dogs trapped in cages could not escape the flames and either burned to death or suffocated from smoke inhalation.

At a dog farm in Goseong-ri, about 170 dogs lived in cages; 8 dogs died from burns or suffocation due to the wildfire, and 10 others suffered severe burns.

CARE reported, "The dogs are starving because there is no water, and those with severe burns are being neglected."

More seriously, companion animals that lost their owners are wandering around the ruins of villages without rescue or are left unattended because they cannot enter shelters for displaced persons.

Current laws such as the Basic Safety Management Act, Disaster Relief Act, and Animal Protection Act do not designate companion animals as rescue targets during disasters nor permit their entry into disaster shelters. Furthermore, the Ministry of the Interior and Safety's disaster safety response manual explicitly states, "It should be noted that pets are not allowed in shelters." This means there is no proper way to rescue pets lost during evacuations or stray pets wandering the streets.

◆Massive fires also destroy wild animal ecosystems

The damage from the flames was not limited to companion and farm animals. Wild animals also face life-threatening risks from massive wildfires. Although wildfires are known to occur frequently during the seasonal transition from winter to spring, excessively large-scale fires cause damage beyond the ecosystem's self-purification capacity.

A wild koala injured by burns due to the large-scale Australian bushfires that continued from 2019 to early 2020. Australian koalas are known to have lost most of their habitat due to the bushfires at that time and have entered the stage of 'functional extinction.' / Photo by Yonhap News

A representative case is the massive wildfires that burned New South Wales, Australia, from late 2019 to early the following year. About 244 species of mammals inhabit Australia, but the occurrence of wildfires at a level that destroyed ecosystems reportedly eliminated their habitats.

Animals with small populations that can only reproduce in specific environments suffered fatal damage. Kangaroo Island at the entrance of Saint Vincent Bay, home to about 50,000 kangaroos, is a prime example.

According to the Australian Koala Foundation, more than 1,000 koalas burned to death across Australia by the end of 2019 alone, and with 80% of their habitat destroyed, koalas have entered a stage of "functional extinction."

Researchers at the University of Adelaide also warned at the time, "Koalas on Kangaroo Island are essentially an insurance for the survival of koalas across Australia," adding, "More than 8,000 koalas lost their lives to wildfires in Victoria's Gippsland and other major koala habitats."

The 2000 East Coast wildfire, the largest in South Korea's history, also caused enormous ecological damage. The National Institute of Forest Science announced in 2019 the results of nearly 20 years of monitoring ecosystem changes in the restoration areas after the wildfire. According to the report, it takes 3 years for fish, 13 years for ants, 19 years for birds, 20 years for landscape and vegetation, and a staggering 35 years for wild animals to fully recover after a wildfire. Restoring the ash-covered soil requires about 100 years.

The recent wildfire, which burned over 20,000 ha of forest, is also presumed to have reduced wild animal populations and significantly impaired the resilience of their habitats.

The government recognizes that companion and wild animals are exposed to large-scale disaster damage and plans to find ways to address this. The Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs announced a comprehensive animal welfare plan through 2024. This plan includes establishing facilities where companion animals can evacuate together with their owners during disasters causing mass displacement, such as wildfires and floods.

Additionally, the Ministry of Environment has established the "4th Basic Plan for Wildlife Protection," to be implemented by 2025. This plan identifies increased floods, cold waves, and wildfires due to climate change as causes of "wildlife habitat destruction" and includes measures such as ▲accumulating data on animals and habitats ▲expanding continuous monitoring ▲establishing surveillance-response systems to protect various animals, including endangered species and migratory birds.

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