28% when diagnosed by a veterinarian... Concerns about poor management of causes of death

28% when diagnosed by a veterinarian... Concerns about poor management of causes of death

(Seoul = Yonhap News) Reporter Jaeyoung Lee = Among the internationally endangered species that died in zoos across the country, the proportion of those classified as natural deaths when not diagnosed by a veterinarian was found to be more than twice as high as when they were diagnosed.

It is pointed out that the management system, including veterinary diagnosis and professional autopsies, must be strengthened to accurately determine the cause of death of endangered species.

According to data received from the Ministry of Climate, Energy and Environment by Park Hae-cheol, a member of the Democratic Party of Korea's Climate, Energy, Environment and Labor Committee at the National Assembly on the 4th, there were 1,598 cases in which veterinarians diagnosed the death of endangered species under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) in zoos over the past five years, and there were 549 cases in which there was no diagnosis.

What is noteworthy is that the rate of natural deaths in cases where there is no veterinary diagnosis is relatively high.

When diagnosed by a veterinarian, the rate of natural death was 27.8% (444 out of 1,598 cases), whereas in cases where there was no diagnosis, it reached 64.7% (355 out of 549 cases). This figure suggests that there may be a significant number of deaths that were judged to be natural deaths but were not.

Representative Park pointed out that there were 220 cases in which it was reported that the cause of death was analyzed, but an autopsy was not performed, and that “it appears that quite a few cases of cause of death were determined based on clinical findings rather than autopsy.”

Most of the dead bodies of internationally endangered species were discarded (1,559 cases), incinerated (416 cases), or landfilled (14 cases) (94.4%). Only 5.6% of cases were donated for research or education (22 cases) or produced as specimens (95 cases).

Rep. Park said, “If we cannot accurately determine the cause of death, we will not be able to protect the remaining endangered species,” and added, “Rather than just discarding the carcasses of endangered species, which are of great value in terms of education and research, we must find a way to use them for research.”