Incheon Stray Dog Pack Attacks Farm... Over 20 Goats and Chicks Affected

Stray Dogs: High Reproductive Rate and Wide Activity Range

A pack of wild dogs attacked a farm in Incheon, killing more than 20 livestock animals. CCTV footage at the scene captured three out of four wild dogs approaching the farm and entering the pen, where they bit and killed goats and chicks indiscriminately.

On the 11th, Yonhap News reported, "In the early morning of the 9th, two goats and 20 chicks inside a pen at a farm in Gongchon-dong, Seo-gu, Incheon, were slaughtered."

A pack of wild dogs attacking a goat
Photo by a reader / Yonhap News

Mr. A, who reported the incident, visited the farm during the day and found the livestock lying motionless. One goat had flesh torn off to the extent that its intestines were visible, and only one chick had barely survived. Mr. A lamented, "The goat was covered in blood, and although the chick survived, it was severely injured and did not look like it would last long."

The chicks were ones he had carefully hatched and raised one by one since March, and Mr. A treated the two goats like family, even giving them names.

Mr. A said, "The wild dogs bit through the wire mesh installed on the pen to make a hole and then invaded," adding, "Their hunting instincts due to becoming feral raise concerns that they could target elderly people or children." Within a 500-meter radius from Mr. A’s farm are residential areas and a subway station. This means nearby residents and passersby could also encounter packs of wild dogs.

In fact, in Seo-gu, Incheon, complaints expressing anxiety over wild dog appearances have been steadily reported for several years. Most complaints involve sightings of wild dogs near residential areas and concerns about dog bite incidents.

Goat and Chicks [Photo by Reader/ Yonhap News]

In response, Seo-gu captured 72 wild dogs in 2021, 62 in 2022, and 115 in 2023, and has caught 50 so far this year through last month.

According to the report on the results of the 2023 administrative audit by the Environment and Economy Committee of the 266th Seo-gu Council meeting, a professional capture company operates seven foothold traps and two large traps to capture wild dogs upon complaint reports.

In 2023, 115 wild dogs were captured, and as of April 2024, seven have been caught. The special capture budget for feral abandoned dogs was 50 million won last year, but only 20 million won, enough to capture 40 dogs, was allocated this year.

A Seo-gu official told Yonhap News, "This year, including a supplementary budget of 20 million won, a total of 40 million won will be used for wild dog capture," adding, "We will respond promptly to wild dog complaints to minimize damage as much as possible."

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