Seoul Children's Grand Park - What seems like animals in very poor condition?

[Eddie Seb]

I visited Korea about two months ago. One of the many parks and zoos I visited was Seoul Children's Grand Park (not to be confused with Seoul Grand Park). There, I was pretty surprised by the conditions some of the animals seemed to be in. Here's a link to a google drive folder with some images of the animals: Seoul Grand Park – Google Drive. Please let me know if these animals are okay, and if not what to do.

 

[Kifaru Bwana]

I visited Korea about two months ago. One of the many parks and zoos I visited was Seoul Children's Grand Park (not to be confused with Seoul Grand Park). There, I was pretty surprised by the conditions some of the animals seemed to be in. Here's a link to a google drive folder with some images of the animals: Seoul Grand Park – Google Drive. Please let me know if these animals are okay, and if not what to do.

A bit more background or context of what animals you observed at the zoo is probably helpful.

We have a few local Zoochat forumsters who may be able to give you some more information on the Children's Grand Park. And/Or what its relation would be with the local major Seoul Zoo in Grand Park!

 

[Kim Minwoo]

The overall animal welfare of Seoul Children's Grand Park is quite low compared to other zoos in Europe and the US. Last year, the Seoul City Council has decided to renew the zoo and renovate the entire facility which is planned to be finished around 2030. The Asian elephants are already being sent to another zoo in Jeonju which has a larger field for elephants

 

[Kifaru Bwana]

The overall animal welfare of Seoul Children's Grand Park is quite low compared to other zoos in Europe and the US. Last year, the Seoul City Council has decided to renew the zoo and renovate the entire facility which is planned to be finished around 2030. The Asian elephants are already being sent to another zoo in Jeonju which has a larger field for elephants

@Kim Minwoo, thanks for your comments. I suppose there is a quite a big difference between the Children's Zoo and the Seoul Zoo in Grand Park? It is certainly interesting that the park has zoological facilities!

 

[Kim Minwoo]

@Kim Minwoo, thanks for your comments. I suppose there is a quite a big difference between the Children's Zoo and the Seoul Zoo in Grand Park? It is certainly interesting that the park has zoological facilities!

First of all, the location is totally different. It is more like San Diego Zoo and San Diego Zoo Safari Park. Seoul Zoo is in fact, not in Seoul but at the suburban region of Seoul, while the Children's Grand Park is located inside Seoul, surrounded by the city buildings. They are run by totally different parts of the Public departments. By car it takes around 40-50 minutes, and 80 minutes for public transportation between the two zoos.
Second, Seoul Zoo has an entrance fee for tickets (around 3-5 USD) but the Children's Grand Park is a totally free-of-charge zoo.
Third, the size is totally different. The Children's Grand Park is more like NY's central park, will some historical monuments inside and literally more like a park for daily lives of the civilians. While, the Seoul Zoo is closer to a planned amusement with a bigger name as Seoul Grand Park and a smaller subdivision named Seoul Zoo. So Seoul Grand Park and Seoul Children's Grand Park are totally different facilities. The animal diversity and enclosure size is also very different due to the sheer size of the zoo itself.