Gwangju Wildlife Rescue Center Rescues 556 Animals Including Otters and Fairy Pittas

191 Animals Returned to the Wild in the First Half of the Year
Key Role as Guardians of Life and Builders of an Ecological City

(Photo from left) Eurasian eagle-owl rescued after collision with a building, raccoon rescued in a lost state, bluebird rescued in a lost state, and a family of white-cheeked pintails rescued in a lost state. Provided by Gwangju Institute of Health and Environment

The Gwangju Institute of Health and Environment's Wildlife Rescue and Management Center announced on October 13 that from March to September this year, it rescued and treated 556 wild animals, including natural monuments such as otters and fairy pittas, successfully returning 191 of them to the wild.

The rescued animals included a significant number of natural monuments and endangered species, drawing attention. Among them were two Eurasian eagle-owls, four fairy pittas, three otters, two Siberian flying squirrels, three Eurasian sparrowhawks, and one Chinese pond turtle.

By cause of rescue, 289 animals (52%) were found in a 'lost' state, having been separated from their mothers during the wild animal breeding season (mainly March to September), making this the most common reason. Additionally, 104 animals (19%) were rescued due to collisions with structures such as soundproof walls and building windows, 21 due to infectious diseases, and 12 due to traffic accidents.

Recently, there has been a rise in cases where kestrels and pigeons build nests on apartment outdoor units or balconies, or raccoons appear in residential areas, causing inconvenience to citizens. In response, the Wildlife Rescue and Management Center is conducting education and public awareness campaigns for citizens on coexisting with wildlife, utilizing published materials.

Since its opening in 2019, the Gwangju Wildlife Rescue Center has rescued and treated 3,946 wild animals of 159 species over the past seven years. Of these, 1,380 have been returned to nature, contributing to the creation of an ecological city. Notably, in 2022, the center carried out an emergency rescue of 62 little egrets that lost their nests due to urban tree maintenance. This incident led to strengthened preventive measures, such as enhanced cooperation with local districts to conduct tree maintenance before the breeding season, as part of proactive protection efforts.

Jung Hyuncheol, Director of the Gwangju Institute of Health and Environment, stated, "Thanks to voluntary reports from citizens, we were able to rescue and return many wild animals to nature again this year," and urged, "If you find an injured or lost wild animal that is unable to move, please report it to the Wildlife Rescue and Management Center."

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