There is a cat-astrophic problem at Yongsan Garrison (sorry I couldn’t resist):
Officials at Yongsan Garrison in Seoul, South Korea, estimate the Army installation has about 70 stray cats, and they want to contain the problem before that number multiplies in the spring.
The population on this Army post has plunged since the U.S. military moved its headquarters south of Seoul over the summer. But one group is clawing its way up — stray cats. They can be spotted running upstairs, hiding under cars, prowling around trash cans and even stuck in trees. Nobody is sure where they all came from. But Command Sgt. Maj. Donald Robertson has a pretty good idea. “People left their pets behind,” he said at a town hall meeting last month on Yongsan, which has been steadily emptying after U.S. Forces Korea and many other units moved to the newly expanded Camp Humphreys as part of a long-delayed relocation plan.
This photo, provided by the presidential office Cheong Wa Dae on May 14, 2017, shows President Moon Jae-in taking care of his cat ‘Jjingjjingi.’ (Yonhap)
A highly pathogenic strain of bird flu was discovered in two dead cats on Saturday, a provincial government official said, marking the first infection of the virus found in mammals in two years.
The H5N6 strain of avian influenza (AI) which has infected chickens across the country was found in the bodies of the cats in Pocheon, some 46 kilometers north of Seoul, the official said, citing information from health authorities.
The cats were found dead earlier this week some 2 kilometers from a chicken farm where the strain of the virus was first reported last month. [Korea Times]
You can read more at the link, but this seems pretty significant because if the bird flu spreads to cats it is an animal that people are more likely to handle than chickens.
Considering the media attention this is getting it seems somebody is bound to find this cat:
The U.S. ambassador’s plea on social media for help finding a missing cat has generated a furry furor in South Korea’s media, which has taken up the effort to find the feline.
Ambassador Mark Lippert posted a picture of a cat named Nike on Facebook and Twitter, saying it had befriended his dog Grigsby and needs to be safely returned. The owners are offering a million won (about $855) reward for the cat, which went missing on Yongsan Garrison several weeks ago.
“Grigsby’s favorite US Embassy cat friend is missing!” the post says. “Please find Nike and return Grigsby’s best cat friend to him!”
South Korean media and online communities quickly took up the cause, publishing numerous stories and pictures of the flier. [Stars & Stripes]
You can read more about the missing cat at the link.
