MORE EXOTIC PETS ABANDONED

[Anchor Lead]

Imported animals, once revered as exotic pets, are now being abandoned by their owners who say it's difficult to raise them. Even if the stray animals are rescued, providing temporary shelter is said to be no easy task.

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​This is an African spurred tortoise, also called the sulcata tortoise. Being an endangered species, it can only be brought into the country through a formal import channel. This tortoise has been found at a stream in Gyeonggido Province in an apparent state of malnutrition, with a curved back and festering stomach.

[Soundbite] GANG DU-HEE(ANIMAL KEEPER) : "The tortoise grows from the size of a palm to 1 or 1.5 meters when fully grown. That's why they are often abandoned by adoptive homes."

This raccoon was rescued from a park in Seoul. Local authorities tried to look for the owner but no one showed up, and the furry critter is now under the protection of an animal welfare group. They may appear cute but raccoons can threaten the habitat of indigenous Korean species such as local wild cats or badgers. This is why the Environment Ministry has named them a species with the potential risk of disturbing the ecosystem. There have been other cases: An imported weasel was found abandoned inside a cage... while lizards were found placed in a dozen plastic containers. As these animals are very different from the ordinary companion pets of cats and dogs, local authorities struggle to provide appropriate temporary shelters.

[Soundbite] (LOCAL GOV'T OFFICIAL(VOICE ALTERED)) : "Some animals, including reptiles, need special facilities. But quite often, this is not the case. Municipal hospitals are reluctant to take them in because they're worried something could go wrong while the animals are under their care."

The number of alien species being brought into the country as pets has doubled in the past decade. There are over 2,000 different species. Many of them are quickly abandoned, prompting calls to tighten related procedures and regulations including a system on each individual's animal adoption.