A delegation from a local government in Korea recently paid a visit to Richmond’s Regional Animal Protection Society (RAPS) to learn about their animal welfare practices.
The delegation, which hails from Gyeonggi Province in Korea, is here to conduct research for an upcoming companion pet “theme park” Yeoju city.
Mun Gi Chun, a member of the delegation, told the Richmond News they’re visiting B.C. to see if there are any best practices they can adopt for the pilot project.
Unlike Disneyland, the park is expected to consist of a cultural centre, a sanctuary for abandoned pets, an adoption centre and an area for pets and their owners to enjoy their time together.
On Thursday, the delegation toured the RAPS Animal Hospital as well as the Cat Sanctuary, where they learned about RAPS’ no-kill policy and their legislative advocacy work.
Delegates also managed to get up-close-and-personal with kittens and cats at the Cat Sanctuary.
“I have cats (at home) and I like cats a lot,” said Heeran Lim, a member of the delegation.
“We don’t have this kind of sanctuary in Korea and we wish to have this kind of place and system.”
The Korean park is currently still in its planning stages and a callout for the public to name the park recently wrapped up this week.
The delegation also visited the BCSPCA in Maple Ridge and spoke to the Vancouver Parks Board as part of the research process.
The next step will be to present all their findings from the trip and see if the government can adapt any of the practices while planning the park.
Eyal Lichtmann, RAPS CEO, said the non-profit is “extremely honoured” by the visit.
“We’re really delighted that over the decades, all of the best practices that we’ve put into place are starting to get recognized internationally. And that’s a huge badge of honour for RAPS,” he said.
