A group of cats relocated from the southernmost island of Marado are being temporarily housed at a provisional shelter at the Jeju World Natural Heritage Center in Jocheon-eup, northern Jeju Island on Monday.

The 42 cats, caught on Wednesday and Thursday, were found to be healthy in a brief check-up by a medical team from Jeju National University's Wildlife Rescue Center following their move to Jeju Island on Friday.

Jeju Special Self-Governing Province on Thursday announced that it would remove stray cats from Marado, which is a hatching place for the small seabirds, Japanese murrelets, during spring, based on the decision that they could threaten the endangered marine birds.

Animal advocacy groups Voice For Cats and Hondidorang participated in the cat rescue operation.

The cats will be provisionally housed in facilities in the natural heritage center to adapt to the new environment and get used to humans, in preparation for adoption.

While some animal advocacy groups criticize the cat evacuation plan for being groundless, the local government is to resume the project in late March for the remaining cats in Marado.

Nearly 60 cats were found to be living in the 0.3-square-kilometer island, initially uninhabited by cats, according to a tally by the Jeju World Natural Heritage Center before the project.