Prosecutors have sought a two-year prison sentence for a zoo operator who was charged with leaving a camel with a tumor to death.



Today (11th), the 5th Criminal Division (Judge Kim Ok-hee) of the Western Branch of the Daegu District Court held a decision trial against A (50), who was charged with violating the Animal Protection Act (animal cruelty), and the zoo corporation.



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Regarding the indictment, Mr. A's lawyer said, "I acknowledge all and agree with the evidence."



Prosecutors demanded two years in prison and a fine of 5 million won for A, and a fine of 5 million won for the zoo corporation.



A's lawyer said, "The defendant is running about 10 businesses, such as running a zoo in other areas, including Daegu, and suffered a lot of damage such as a decrease in profits due to direct damage from Corona 19." I thought it would,” he said.



In his final statement, Mr. A, who stood in court, said, "Actually, our industry has been directly hit by COVID-19, but it is also a neglected place.



Earlier, in February 2020, it was revealed that Mr. A had a camel with a tumor left untreated to death, then dismantled the camel carcass and fed it to a tiger in another zoo he operated.



According to the Animal Protection Group and the Beagle Rescue Network, it was found that Mr. A directly instructed the breeder to dismantle the carcass of the camel when the camel died two years ago.



When an animal dies at a zoo, it must be reported to the local government and processed through a specialized company.



The zookeeper who was instructed at the time told a media outlet, "He was like a friend, but I was mentally traumatized a lot about dismantling [the camel]. I expressed my feelings.



In addition, while opening this zoo in 2019, Mr. A is accused of illegally breeding 8 species including Japanese monkeys, gibbons, reticulated king snakes, and Myanmar king snakes without registering as an internationally endangered species breeding facility with the Ministry of Environment.



Also, from June to October 2020, the zoo's species and endangered species status, changes, and holdings are not recorded.



The zoo was closed two years ago due to the corona virus.



The sentencing hearing for Mr. A is scheduled to be held on September 20.