Against All Odds: ARK Shelter’s Legal Fight and Hope for the Future
Sharing for Animal Rights Korea (ARK) Shelter.
In November 2020, a dedicated coalition of 150 volunteers, alongside the animal rights organization Coexistence of Animal Rights on Earth (CARE), successfully shut down a dog farm in Incheon that had been operating for 30 years. Located on land leased from Lotte Corporation, a major South Korean conglomerate, the farm had been supplying dogs to the meat trade.
The volunteers rescued 250 dogs from being sent to slaughterhouses by negotiating with the farmer and paying for their release. With no alternative shelter available, the team repurposed the site, dismantling the existing raised cages and building new kennels and greenhouses to protect the dogs from the harsh winter. They named the newly established refuge the Animal Rights Korea (ARK) Shelter.
Since then, 150 dogs have found loving homes, but 120 remain at the ARK Shelter, still awaiting adoption.
Despite the shelter’s efforts to provide a safe haven for these animals, both Lotte Corporation and the Incheon Gyeyang District Government have been actively opposing the shelter’s continued operation at this site.
ARK has been engaged in a lengthy legal battle with the Gyeyang District Office for official recognition as a shelter. This process has lasted four years, beginning with a victory in the first trial, followed by a loss in the second, and ultimately reaching a final appeal at the Supreme Court.
Unfortunately, ARK recently lost the final appeal. Despite their best efforts and seeking additional legal advice, the law did not align with their intentions.
As a result, ARK must vacate its current location. The site, which has been a dog farm for three decades, is located in a restricted development zone. Zoning regulations prohibit the installation of greenhouses, and both the district office and Lotte Corporation are demanding ARK’s departure.
On a positive note, ARK sees this as an opportunity to move to a new location that will offer a better environment for the aging animals.
ARK has already signed a lease for the new location and is currently undergoing construction. However, they still need to raise funds to cover the costs. With a deposit of 55 million won (approx. $38,000 USD) already paid and construction expenses totaling 130 million won (approx. $90,000 USD), ARK is relying on your generosity to ensure these dogs have a safe, comfortable, and loving new home.
Every donation, no matter the size, will make a meaningful difference in giving these animals a better future. Please consider supporting ARK Shelter today and help create a space where these dogs can live in peace and dignity. Thank you for your continued support and for being a part of our mission to give these animals the life they deserve. 🙏💗🐕
DONATION INFORMATION
🆘 Paypal – https://www.paypal.com/paypalme/lotte250dogs2020
Monthly donations are also available:
🖌️ $100 per month – https://bit.ly/3vwcEvx
🖌️ $50 per month – https://bit.ly/3MeCY3T
🖌️ $30 per month – https://bit.ly/3vs56tI
💡 Yes, this is the right PayPal page.
Back in 2020, a group of compassionate animal advocates, in collaboration with Coexistence of Animal Rights on Earth (CARE), rescued 250 dogs from a decades-old dog farm in Gyeyang Mountain, Incheon. This farm, located on land rented from the major Korean conglomerate “Lotte,” was supplying dogs to the meat trade.
At the time, the volunteers named themselves “롯데목장 개 살리기 시민모임,” which translates to “Citizens’ Group to Save Dogs from the Lotte Farm.” With the help of caring donors, they successfully purchased the dogs from the farmer, preventing their slaughter.
Since then, the volunteers have worked tirelessly to find homes for as many of these dogs as possible, and their organization has evolved into the “Animal Rights Korea (ARK) Shelter.”
Therefore, even though their PayPal page retains the original name, it is the correct page for supporting the ARK Shelter. Your donation will directly benefit the care of these rescued dogs.
📢 Please keep in touch and stay up to date with us via the following links!
👉 Instagram
👉 Facebook
👉 YouTube
👉 Adoptable dogs
ADOPTION INFORMATION
🐶 For foster home and adoption inquiries, contact ARK: 📧 [email protected]
🐶 If you are in the United States and would like to learn how to foster or adopt one of these dogs, please contact ARK Shelter’s partnering rescue organization in the US, The Barky Bunch Rescue.
👉 Click HERE for the Adoption and Foster Application and Steps to Adoption Information.
👉 Click HERE for the dogs available for adoption from ARK Shelter. They are adding more dogs to the list, so keep checking. 🌎 Click the “See Translation” for English translation.
👉 Click HERE to contact The Barky Bunch Rescue with any questions.
👉 Click HERE to learn more about this rescue and the ARK Shelter from our previous postings.
Click below for some of the Korean news coverage of this rescue:
👉 Conflict Between Local Government and Civic Group Over Rescuing 250 Dogs from Illegal Dog Farm in Gyeyang Mountain, Incheon. (인천 계양산 불법개농장 250마리 구조놓고 지자체-시민모임 갈등), 9/16/2020.
👉 “Dogs from Gyeyang Mountain Dog Farm, Where Slaughter and Abuse Occurred, “Now Have Nowhere to Go.” (도살·학대당하던 계양산 개농장 개들 “이젠 갈곳을 잃었네요”), 9/16/2020.
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