Korean Job Discussion Forums

doc_ido · Joined: 03 Sep 2007

There's a pet store not too far from me that treats its animals (and customers) pretty badly. As far as I know there are no animal cruelty laws in Korea, so I can't report them for it. However, they recently put some pretty unhappy-looking primates on display (some kind of macaque, from my limited knowledge), and tossed me out when I tried to photograph them.

I'd be surprised if these primates are in the country legally, so is there anywhere in the Seoul or Gyeonggi area I can contact about them? There are very legitimate reasons for keeping tabs on exotic imports aside from welfare considerations (disease and possible escape are the most important). I intend to contact IAKA, but judging from their website they're not too active right now...I was thinking more along the lines of the biosecurity department (if there is one).

Yesterday · Posted: Sun Dec 09, 2007 5:02 am Post subject:

In the late 1990s it was discovered that nearly all (circa 90%) pet or captive macaques are carriers of the herpes-B virus. This virus is harmless to macaques, but infections of humans, while rare, are potentially fatal. A 2005 University of Toronto study showed that urban performing macaques also carried simian foamy virus, suggesting they could be involved in the species-to-species jump of similar retroviruses to humans.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Macaque

Koreans are so smart - aren't they... but I guess they think kimchi will take care of that...

RACETRAITOR · Joined: 24 Oct 2005 Location: Seoul, South Korea

Mental note: do not give cunnilingus to monkeys.

the_beaver · Joined: 15 Jan 2003

whatever · Joined: 11 Jun 2006 Location: Korea: More fun than jail.

Whoops.

kermo · Posted: Sun Dec 09, 2007 5:47 am Post subject:

I saw those poor buggers too.

One of them reached through the bars to grab my finger, and then lifted his upper lip to show his teeth. No idea what that meant.

Another friend in Yongin saw them and thought they were baboons, with their long "canine" teeth pulled out. I'd love to see that pet store shut down. Their animals are always in such cramped, dirty, miserable quarters.