Owners who cannot afford medical bills are failing to collect their animals from veterinary clinics after treatment while others are turning their dogs and cats out onto the street, the Korea Times said.
Seoul vet Lee Joo Ho said he has had to send three dogs and one cat to animal shelters in the past month after owners failed to collect them.
'Even humans are finding it hard to foot medical bills these days, so it's not surprising to see people surrender their sick pets', he was quoted as saying.
Pet shelters face growing overcrowding problems, with a Seoul animal care centre reporting about 100 more strays in September compared with the same month in 2007. -- AFP