Civic groups protest taxidermizing 5-year-old tiger Taebaek
Members of animal rights groups hold a rally in front of Seoul Grand Park in Gwacheon, Gyeonggi Province, opposing the taxidermy of the Siberian tiger Taebaek, Sunday. Courtesy of PENZA
Animal rights advocates held a rally in front of Seoul Grand Park in Gwacheon, Gyeonggi Province, on Sunday, demanding the withdrawal of the taxidermy of Taebaek, a Siberian tiger who died last month.
Holding placards and chanting slogans, they called for a meeting with Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon, who is responsible for the operation of Seoul Grand Park.
The civic group PENZA (People and Zoo Animals) organized the rally. "We cannot understand how preserving Taebaek, who died from disease before reaching even one-third of the average lifespan, serves as a record of natural history or holds significance as a national natural heritage," it said in a statement.
Since February this year, Taebaek, the Siberian tiger, had been showing signs of health issues and died at the age of five on April 19 while undergoing treatment.
A health check conducted by Seoul Grand Park four days before Taebaek's death revealed significant deterioration in his bile and liver functions. Currently, a detailed examination is being conducted by an external institution to determine the exact cause of death.
The controversy began when it was revealed that the zoo operator was storing Taebaek in a freezer for taxidermy purposes. Civic groups are opposing this decision, questioning the necessity of adding Taebaek to the four tiger specimens already existing.
The Siberian tiger Taebaek / Courtesy of Seoul Grand Park
In a statement, PENZA said, "If the transmission of genetic information is necessary, as claimed by the park, extracting a small sample would suffice."
"Many people condemned the taxidermy and exhibition of Xin Nier, the grandmother of panda Fu Bao, who died of intestinal obstruction and was displayed at the Chengdu Natural History Museum in China. How is taxidermizing Taebaek, who was born and exhibited in a cramped zoo until just days before his death, any different from Xin Nier?"
PENZA said it is not "unconditionally opposed" to taxidermy. "Taebaek was a young tiger who died prematurely from illness. We cannot understand the value in subjecting him to the pain of being skinned and taxidermied," it said.
PENZA is a nonprofit organization formed by people who love tigers. The organization plans to work toward improving the welfare of zoo animals, not just tigers.
Jeong Ho-young, the head of PENZA, said, "Taebaek was a superstar among citizens, to the extent that someone overcame depression by seeing him. It is heartbreaking to think that he lived his life for display and now is being taxidermied under the guise of education even after death."
He also said that other tigers have recently died due to the park's negligence. "Just as there is a dedicated team for elephants, we demand that the park establish a proper management system for tigers."
Meanwhile, Rep. Chung Il-young of the Democratic Party of Korea has also criticized the poor management at Seoul Grand Park following the consecutive deaths of tigers and has called for measures to be taken.
"We can recreate the appearance of animals using 3D printing and holograms," Chung said, urging the park to "move away from the insistence on taxidermy and utilize modern animal preservation systems suitable for the advanced technological era."
This article from the Hankook Ilbo, a sister publication of The Korea Times, was translated by a generative AI and edited by The Korea Times.