People abandoning pets in aftermath of Covid-19 outbreak

nNOIDA: An increasing number of people are abandoning their pets in Noida in the aftermath of Sarscov-2 epidemic, according to those working at shelter homes.

People for Animals, an NGO, said they received an average four calls from NCR in a month before the outbreak. “However, for the past week, we are receiving three-four calls daily from NCR areas such as Gautam Budh Nagar, Delhi and Ghaziabad, and even Punjab. There were rumours that the virus may be transmitted through animals. Despite clarifications that the disease is not transmitted through pet dogs, the calls have not reduced,” said Kaveri Bhardwaj, president, People for Animals, Gautam Budh Nagar.

In some cases, the owners are calling the shelter homes to give up their pets. “This used to happen once or twice in a fortnight but now owners are saying they no longer want their dogs... We are getting several messages on social media as well. People say they just don’t want to risk it,” said Sagarika Banerjee, who runs a dog shelter in Sector 127.

Bhardwaj said an equal number of calls related to relocation of dogs and monkeys are coming in. “...Yesterday, our volunteers found monkeys being filled in sacks to be relocated, in Greater Noida...,” said Bhardwaj.

Dr Abhishek Daber, veterinary incharge at the Noida authority’s shelter home, said: “The strain in dogs is different. It stays in the digestive tract and causes diarrhoea...”.