Animals that were overlooked for several years at an indoor zoo in Suseong, Daegu, have found a new home.
On May 22, Spa Valley Nature Park reported that they acquired 324 animals on May 14 for $117,000 via an auction and are currently relocating them to a new facility. The relocation is expected to be completed by the end of May. The controversy over animal abuse arose when the operator of the zoo halted operations in May last year due to difficulties in management caused by COVID-19.
For example, a hyena spent two years confined to a cage that barely fit, while a white lion developed a tumor on its face.
Park Jin Seok, Head of Nature Park, said, “There is a growing call for the closure of zoos to protect animal welfare. We decided to intervene, motivated by the belief that animals enduring poor conditions should be allowed to live out their lives in health.”