Seoul City said Thursday that it will establish rules to better protect animal rights and curb abuse.

The city has not had specific rules for the issues, and the rules applied to zoos have so far only been those of museums.

The city will first launch a task force team for animal welfare and ethics and hold a workshop Friday, in which 150 animal experts, professors and officials will discuss relevant rules in foreign nations, concepts of animal ethics and welfare of the World Society for the Protection of Animals, and the current status of animal ethics in Korea.

The work to set up the bill of animal rights will be completed by next May after a test run at 20 zoos nationwide.

The city said the bill will include rules on animal captivity at zoos, disease control, commercial use such as for a dophin show and lab experiments on animals.

Other nations such as the U.S., the U.K and Australia have ethical rules on animals and ask animal organizations and institutes to follow.

The World Organization for Animal Health states the welfare of an animal is good if it is “healthy, comfortable, well nourished, safe, able to express innate behavior and not suffering from unpleasant states such as pain, fear or distress.”

(wone0102@heraldcorp.com)