Endangered Wildlife
  
information on Korean stamp
Date of Issue |
: 2015.03.26 |
Types |
: 2 |
Denomination |
: 300 won |
Design |
: |
Stamp No. |
: 3052 |
Printing Process
& Colors |
: Offset, five colors |
Size of Stamp |
: 36.5 × 26.8 |
WholeSheet
Composition |
: 4 × 5 |
Image Area |
: 36.5 × 26.8 |
Paper |
: White Un watermarked |
Perforation |
: 14 |
Printer |
: Royal Joh Enschede for POSA |
Designer |
: Kim, So-jeong |
Quantity |
: 500,000 stamps each (S/S 100,000) |
Detail
Many animals are on the verge extinction around the world
due to human activities, such as overhunting and overfishing
and excessive exploitation of natural resources. The wolf is
one of them. Wolves once ranged in the mid and northern
regions of Korea, including Samcheok of Gangwon-do,
Mungyeong and Cheongsong of Gyeongsangbuk-do, and
Suanbo of Chungcheongbuk-do, but none have been sighted
since the 1960s. The wolf was designated as an endangered
species in 1998 and is currently designated and managed as
Class 1 Endangered Wildlife.
Wolves descended from the same family as dogs but are
different in several respects. Their tails are longer and
usually carried down, and they have wider foreheads, greater
separation between the eyes, longer and pointed snouts,
longer and thicker legs, and always straight-standing ears.
Their senses of sight, smell, and hearing are especially welldeveloped.
In fact, a wolf can smell an object more than
two kilometers away. Wolves have varying hair density and
color depending on the climate and natural characteristics of
their habitat. While they primarily feed on animals such as
rabbits, raccoons, goats, and deer, they do eat certain types
of fruits. Howling is an essential means of communication for
wolves traveling in packs. A wolf howls to communicate with
another more than 10 kilometers away and can use howling
to assemble its pack quickly in the case of an imminent
threat.
Although the wolf is a violent predatory animal, it is the
only mammal that remains monogamous for life. A wolf will
readily give its own life for its mate and offspring. The male
wolf gives meat from a kill to the female wolf and offspring
first, and young wolves, even after separating from parents,
often visit their mother and spend time together. Wolves
generally breed in January and February, stay pregnant for
about 60 days, and produce typically four to ten offspring
in a single litter. The female wolf establishes several dens,
including small caves or holes dug out of the ground, and
hurriedly moves her pups to any one of them upon detecting
a threat.
The Special Stamps portray wolves as animals with strong
family affection, not as cold-hearted predators. The stamps
were printed with gold foil and specially coated to render
a glossy appearance, making them even more valuable
additions to any stamp collection.