Seven Years of Gwangju Wildlife Rescue Captured in First Photo Book

Gwangju Wildlife Rescue and Management Center Publishes "Healers of Nature"

120 Photos Including Baby Otters and Roe Deer Carefully Selected from Over 2,000 Images

A roe deer that got its waist stuck in a fence railing dashes into a reed forest. An otter rescued before it was even a month old completes its treatment and returns to the wild. Seven years of returning injured wild animals to the forests and rivers have been captured in the photo book.

According to Namgwangju Integrated Special City on August 25, the Gwangju Institute of Health and Environment's Wildlife Rescue and Management Center has published its first photo book documenting its wildlife rescue and treatment site: "Healers of Nature."

Cover of the first photo book "Healers of Nature" published by the Gwangju Wildlife Rescue and Management Center. Provided by Namgwangju Unified Special City.

The photo book features 120 photographs selected from over 2,000 images taken between 2019, when the center opened, and last year. It captures wild animals rescued following citizen reports, veterinarians and rescue workers treating and caring for them, as well as the moments these recovered animals return to nature.

The process of caring for three baby Siberian flying squirrels that landed on a school playground for two months before releasing them on Mudeungsan Mountain has also been captured in photos. Another record shows 60 breeding egrets rescued with their nests during roadside tree maintenance, cared for over three months, and eventually released back into the Yeongsan River.

Veterinarians and rescue workers took the photographs themselves using their mobile phones during rescue and treatment. Each photo comes with a short subheading, allowing readers to follow the stories behind each animal's rescue and their return to nature.

The title of the photo book, "Healers of Nature," conveys that wildlife rescue activities go beyond treating injured animals—they are a process of restoring the relationship between nature and people.

The photo book is available for public viewing by anyone at the Wildlife Rescue and Management Center located on Mujindaero in Seo-gu, Gwangju.

Since opening, the center has rescued 4,600 wild animals—including natural monuments and endangered species such as otters, Siberian flying squirrels, fairy pittas, and greater horseshoe bats. This averages about 600 rescues per year.

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