An animal welfare civic group found rule violations at every one of the 22 hands-on zoos it examined across South Korea. Each facility was operating visitor experiences differently from the plans approved in advance, according to SBS. Following a 2022 legal revision, visitors are generally prohibited from touching or feeding zoo animals unless a facility submits a program plan and receives approval for an exception.
At one zoo in Gyeonggi Province, visitors could repeatedly give carrots or crackers to coatis without direct control by a keeper. The arrangement made it difficult to manage how much food each animal consumed. An expert cited in the report warned that uncontrolled feeding could cause nutritional imbalance and obesity.
The survey also documented activities that went beyond the species or contact permitted in approved plans. An Incheon zoo had pledged to prevent touching during feeding sessions but offered visitors an opportunity to touch kinkajous. It also added feeding programs involving capybaras and sloths without approval. At another zoo in Daegu, investigators found an unauthorized seal-contact experience.
Approval without continuing oversight
Enforcement remains difficult once a program has passed its initial review. Local governments said that when complaints arrive without photographs or other evidence, officials can struggle to confirm violations at the site. That limitation allows a formally approved plan and the experience delivered to visitors to diverge without prompt detection.
A lawmaker on the National Assembly’s climate and labor committee said the recurring violations stem from a system that collects education and implementation plans during initial approval but does not adequately inspect later operations. The findings put attention on whether local authorities will verify that existing programs match their approvals and strengthen continuing oversight of animal contact and feeding activities.