[Anchor]

Animals are also struggling against the suffocating heat wave. So far, more than 360,000 livestock have died nationwide, and livestock farmers are waging an all-day battle against the heat.

Reporter Hong Seung-yeon has the story.

[Reporter]

Chicks are gasping for air with their beaks open, lying flat and sprawled out on the floor.

With daytime temperatures reaching 35°C (95°F), 500 chicks died from the heat yesterday alone at this farm.

Due to the intense heat, this farm had to cut the number of chicks in half compared to last year.

[Poultry Farm Owner: Since they are animals vulnerable to the heat, we keep the ventilation fans, electric fans, and doors all open... but the heat is so severe that many die, and if we bring in more chicks, we just end up suffering for nothing.]

Another nearby poultry farm.

Even with all the cooling systems running, the temperature far exceeds 24°C (75°F), the optimal growth temperature for chickens.

Electric fans run constantly to cool down the heat, but the indoor temperature exceeds 33°C (91°F), making you sweat just by standing still.

Even when suffering damage from the heat wave, it is not easy to receive compensation from livestock disaster insurance.

[Lee Jae-shin / Poultry Farm Owner: If it hits 34°C or 35°C for just about 30 minutes, they all get wiped out and die. They only confirm that deaths were caused by the heat wave if the heat wave advisory lasts for three days or more, but if you check on what died today three days later, what's left? It turns to liquid and rots. The insurance system is unreasonable.]

Livestock farms are also at war with the heat.

They try to cool the heat with cooling fans, but the temperature inside the barn exceeds 34°C (93°F).

Exhausted by the heat, dairy cows refuse to eat feed and sit down while drooling.

As they eat less due to stress, milk production has dropped by more than 30%.

[Kim Dong-hoon / Dairy Farm Owner: They should be eating 1,700 kg, but we've reduced it by 200 kg for now. The cows' intake has dropped that much. As a result of that, milk yield has also decreased.]

About 360,000 livestock have died due to this heat wave, and farmers are calling for active support to minimize farm damages.

(Photo courtesy of Kim Min-chul)