"Brought It Home Out of Pity"... Woman in Her 40s Found Guilty After Keeping Baby Crow for a Week

Legal Punishment Applies Even for Well-Intentioned Rescue of Wildlife

Experts Warn: "Tame Animals Face Reduced Chances of Survival"

A woman in her 40s who brought a baby crow home and raised it for about a week has been found guilty of violating the Wildlife Protection and Management Act. However, the court took into account her admission of the offense and expression of remorse, and decided to suspend the imposition of a fine.

On August 1, Yonhap News, citing the legal community, reported that the Uijeongbu District Court's 6th Single Criminal Division (Judge Lee Yonghee) suspended the sentence of a 700,000 won fine for a woman in her 40s, identified as Ms. A, who was charged under the Wildlife Protection and Management Act. A suspended sentence means that, while guilt is recognized, the imposition of the punishment is postponed in consideration of circumstances. If no crime is committed for two years, the punishment is nullified.

Ms. A was brought to trial on charges of discovering a baby crow in June last year under Gageumcheolgyo Bridge in Nokyang-dong, Uijeongbu, Gyeonggi Province, taking it home, and keeping it. The investigation began after a complaint through the National Sinmungo portal claimed that Ms. A was keeping a crow at her home.

A woman who brought a baby crow home and raised it for about a week was found guilty. Pixabay

The police investigation found that Ms. A had put the baby crow she found sitting near the bridge into a box and a birdcage, cared for it for about a week, and then returned it to the place where she had first discovered it. She reportedly told police, "I found the baby crow on my way down after hiking and brought it home out of pity," and, "After taking care of it for about a week, I put it back in a box and returned it to where I found it."

The court stated, "We considered the defendant’s remorse for the crime, the fact that this was a first offense, and that the crime was committed without knowledge of the relevant laws."

The current Wildlife Protection and Management Act prohibits the capture or collection of wild animals designated by the Ministry of Environment without permission, regardless of whether they are endangered. Acquiring, transporting, or keeping illegally captured wild animals is also punishable. Crows are not endangered species, but they are wild animals for which unauthorized capture is prohibited.

Crows are considered one of the most intelligent bird species. This has led to occasional cases both in Korea and overseas of people attempting to keep young crows as pets. A research team at the University of Washington in the United States found that crows can remember human faces for years and are capable of warning other crows about dangerous individuals. Some species, such as the New Caledonian crow, are also famous for their remarkable problem-solving abilities, such as processing branches into hook-shaped tools to retrieve food.

Experts point out that bringing wild birds home and raising them can be harmful to the animals. If wild animals become accustomed to humans, they may lose their ability to find food or avoid predators in the wild, which can lower their chances of survival after being released.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.