Tiger endures 3 years of solitary confinement in closed zoo

A tiger believed to be named Hosooni sits behind bars and glass in her enclosure in the zoo of Tongdo Fantasia, a closed amusement park in Yangsan, South Gyeongsang Province, Feb. 4. / Korea Times photo by Jon Dunbar

By Jon Dunbar

Visitors to Tongdo Temple in Yangsan, South Gyeongsang Province, might notice the closed amusement park, zoo, waterpark and hotel across the street from the temple parking lot. But they could never guess that an adult Bengal tiger is living all alone in there.

The park, just a couple of kilometers down the road from former President Moon Jae-in's new home, is "temporarily closed," according to its website, but has been so since March 2020. The tiger, presumed to be an adult female Bengal tiger named Hosooni based on a scattering of internet posts, spends her days lying in the sun and pacing around her enclosure, which is slightly smaller than a tennis court and provides some sheltered areas.

She sometimes lets out anguished meows, deeper and louder than those of her domesticated cousins, that echo throughout the park and beyond. People passing by on the other side of the property's fence, just a few meters away from the apex predator, might not give the odd noises a second thought.

There have been complaints about the tiger's living conditions since at least 2021, but the situation garnered much more attention last month after three foreigners coming to visit the nearby temple stumbled upon the closed amusement park. Their curiosity got the better of them, and they entered the property for a look around.

The window of a tiger enclosure is smeared with paw prints at the zoo of Tongdo Fantasia, a closed amusement park in Yangsan, South Gyeongsang Province, Feb. 4. / Korea Times photo by Jon Dunbar

"The park seemed totally abandoned," said Jason, a British expat and local business owner. "It was in disarray. The buildings, the rides, everything was in complete ruins. There were no signs of life at all, so you can imagine our shock to find a living tiger of all things. We didn't know if she could round the corner and confront us, or what ― we had no idea!"

But once they got hold of their nerves, their terror turned to pity. "The moment that irrational fear left, is the exact moment the sadness kicked in," he said.

He put together footage from his phone, narrated it and uploaded the video to a newly created YouTube channel called Ugly Lovely Media. In the video, the tiger, damp from the rain, can be seen pawing desperately at the glass wall of her cage.

A separate group of visitors on Feb. 4, a sunnier day, said that the tiger was relaxing inside her enclosure, unperturbed by the visitors initially. She reportedly looked well-fed and clean.

"I would say that given the overall situation, her physical condition is quite good ― which was very surprising," said a Canadian resident of Ulsan, also named Jason.

But when one photographer accidentally tapped a lens hood lightly against the glass ― which signs posted around the site informed visitors not to do ― the tiger leaped to her feet and began pacing around. Then she went to the far end of her enclosure and meowed mournfully, prompting the visitors to leave fearing they had upset her.

The tiger lives alone in an enclosure about the size of a tennis court in the zoo of Tongdo Fantasia, a closed amusement park in Yangsan, South Gyeongsang Province, Feb. 4. / Korea Times photo by Jon Dunbar

"Set that cat free," said one internet commenter based in San Francisco, "Omg, it's in prison!"

Tongdo Fantasia opened in 1993, and for years it was one of the two biggest amusement parks in the nation's southeast region, boasting dozens of attractions including two roller coasters and a Ferris wheel. In its first year, it attracted 1.4 million visitors. But its popularity started to wane in the 2000s due to aging facilities, increasing competition and improved transport infrastructure. Since 2004, it has been under the ownership of Dongil Engineering & Construction. Then, when the pandemic began, it closed down temporarily and continued extending the closure's end date repeatedly.

Dongil has since been taking care of the tiger's basic and medical needs. An employee has been living on the property to look after her since the park's closure, the company confirmed.

A Yangsan city government official confirmed that complaints have been received about the living conditions of the tiger, and that the city has been talking with the property owner and the Ministry of Environment to figure out the facts of the situation.

Last year, the company began looking for somewhere to rehome the tiger and began discussions last summer with Uchi Park Zoo in Gwangju Metropolitan City ― which coincidentally has also recently rehomed the Pungsan dogs given up by Moon Jae-in.

According to a Dongil official on the team charged with feeding and transferring the tiger, Uchi Park Zoo needed time to remodel its tiger cage to prepare a separate enclosure for the new animal.

The exact end date of the tiger's three-year-long solitary confinement has not yet been determined, but the environment ministry's Nakdong River Basin Environmental Office issued a permit for the transfer last summer. The two facilities are now reportedly waiting for warmer weather, safer for animal transportation.

"We will do our utmost to transfer the tiger ASAP," an official at Dongil told The Korea Times. "The transfer will be done by March, or in February if possible."

To move the tiger across the country will require anesthesia, a large cage, a forklift truck and professional personnel, such as veterinarians and zookeepers, according to the city official.

One of the entrances to Tongdo Fantasia, a closed amusement park in Yangsan, South Gyeongsang Province, Feb. 4. / Korea Times photo by Jon Dunbar

"Yangsan City Government has asked concerned parties to update them on the tiger transfer and explained to those who filed complaints that the tiger will be soon rehomed in a safe environment," the city official said.

"I'll believe it when I see it," said the British Jason. "I won't be taking their word for it ― we need updates. Hosooni has been a dark secret for years, hidden in the shadows. Now she deserves to be in the limelight, in the light of day, so we all can know for sure that she's finally done right by. By caring, the public are shining that light on Hosooni."

Korea Times reporter Lee Hae-rin contributed to this article.