Jeju's First Abandoned-Animal Adoption Festival to Offer In-Person Interaction with 20 Shelter Animals

【Financial News | Jeju—Reporter Jeong Yong-bok】 Jeju's first abandoned-animal adoption festival, where shelter animals and prospective adopters can meet in person, interact and receive adoption counseling, will be held.
According to the Jeju Special Self-Governing Province Animal Hygiene Testing Laboratory on the 29th, the 1st Jeju Adoption Oreum Festival will be held from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. on October 11 at the No. 2 Animal Protection Center in Aewol-eup, Jeju City.
The event is hosted by the Jeju Animal Hygiene Testing Laboratory and organized by Poinhand. Anyone interested in adopting an abandoned animal or currently raising a pet may participate without any special eligibility requirements.
The centerpiece of the event is an interaction program featuring animals from the shelter. The event will include an "Interaction Yard" with 20 shelter animals selected in advance. Rather than making an adoption decision based solely on photographs or online information, participants will be able to observe the animals' behavior and personalities up close and interact with them.
A walking volunteer program will also be held. Participants will walk with shelter animals and have time to become familiar with one another.
For the shelter animals, the program offers socialization through contact with people and outdoor environments. For those considering adoption, it provides an opportunity to assess whether they can build a relationship with the animal in their daily lives.
Adoption counseling will also be available at the event. Meetings and counseling will be offered together so participants can learn enough about the shelter animals before deciding whether to adopt.
The event will also feature a program on caring for pets after they join a family. Veterinarians Na Eung-sik and Seol Chae-hyun will give lectures from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. They will explain how adopted pets adjust to new environments and how to care for them properly. The lectures will be open not only to prospective pet owners preparing to adopt, but also to provincial residents who already have pets.
This is why the event links the process from interaction before adoption to care after adoption, rather than focusing solely on the adoption itself. For shelter animals to settle into their new homes, prospective owners must understand the animals' dispositions and learn appropriate ways to care for them.
Information about the 20 shelter animals participants can meet at the event, along with details of the programs, will be posted through the Jeju Animal Protection Center and Poinhand's social media channels. Poinhand will accept preregistrations through October 9.
The No. 2 Animal Protection Center, the event venue, also has an outdoor space where shelter animals can be active. The Interaction Yard and walking volunteer program will use these facilities to enable direct contact between the shelter animals and participants.
Moon Seong-eop, head of the Jeju Animal Hygiene Testing Laboratory, said, "I hope the Adoption Oreum Festival becomes a place where shelter animals and provincial residents get to know one another and form connections." He added, "We will continue our efforts to promote the adoption of abandoned animals and foster a responsible pet-owning culture."

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