A farmer in his 30s has been booked by police for neglecting a herd of cattle, starving them to death at a livestock farm in Haenam, South Jeolla Province.

On March 12, the Haenam Police Station in South Jeolla announced that they had booked a man in his 30s on charges of violating the Animal Protection Act.

The farmer is accused of neglecting 63 out of 67 cattle at his farm in Songji-myeon, Haenam County, leading to their mass death. According to the police investigation, the farmer inherited the farm from his parents but failed to manage it properly.

The case came to light on March 9 at around 1:30 PM when a resident reported, “The cattle are dead” at a livestock farm in Songji-myeon, Haenam County. At the scene, calves were found lying dead next to their mothers, while other cows were either entangled with each other or had their heads lowered into the feed troughs when they perished.

Veterinarians and experts who examined the site ruled out infectious diseases or external attacks as the cause of death. The Animal Hygiene Laboratory’s pathological examination confirmed a negative result for any disease.

The farmer, who was in charge of managing the farm, stated that he had been “too busy with his schedule recently” to take care of the cattle.

The four surviving cows are currently being cared for by the farmer’s relatives, while the deceased cattle are being incinerated in stages.

The police plan to investigate the farmer to further determine the duration of neglect and whether there was any malicious intent behind the act.

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