Daily Tribune (Philippines)

#Mealsonwhe­els for strays

To gather funds for its volunteers and strays, PART launched its online shop that offers animal-designed shirts, caps and masks. Proceeds are given aid the #mealsonwhe­els program so it could accommodat­e more homeless animals

- Pauline L. Songco

When the Taal Volcano spewed lava and emitted hazardous amounts of ash and volcanic gases last January, the Philippine Animal Rescue Team (PART) opened its sanctuary in San Jose del Monte Bulacan as temporary shelter of animals such as dogs, cats, horses, cows, pigs and others who were unfortunat­ely left behind in the area.

As the country continues to battle the COVID-19 pandemic, PART in return asks for help in supporting its #mealsonwhe­els campaign, a program that feeds thousands of homeless animals who, otherwise, will suffer and die from illness and hunger if not immediatel­y attended to.

To gather funds for its volunteers and strays, PART launched its online shop that offers animal-designed shirts, caps and masks. Proceeds are given aid the #mealsonwhe­els program so it could accommodat­e more homeless animals. In a Facebook post, PART said, “#Thankful for every donor and volunteer who continue to be the light in the darkness of thousands of animals we feed and care for daily. At the end of your day, we hope you realize that thousands of innocent souls are not dying or sleeping hungry because YOU chose compassion and kindness. Thank you so much for making #mealsonwhe­els possible.” It added, “Because of your generosity, they experience love, compassion and kindness.”

Life maybe tougher now than before, but PART is knocking on doors to help these homeless souls experience the life that they deserve. Philippine residents who would like to donate visit donorbox.org/sharehope-2.

COVID-19 outbreak on minks

After the sudden outbreak on mink farms in Spain and The Netherland­s, scientists are now once again investigat­ing the possibilit­y of humans contractin­g the virus from animals.

While it reportedly started with infected workers, scientists believe it is ‘plausible’ that the minks could have passed the virus back to the staff.

In a report by news.sky.com, more than 92,000 minks were slaughtere­d “after it was thought more than 90 percent of them had contracted the virus.” Professor Wim van der Poel who studies animal viruses at Wageningen University and Research in The Netherland­s added, “We assumed it was possible that it would be transmitte­d back to people again.”

The World Health Organizati­on is aware of the outbreak but believes that the transmissi­on of COVID-19 from animals to humans was “very limited.” If the said situation is proven, it would be the first documented case of animal-human transmissi­on.

 ?? JONATHAN NACKSTRAND/ AGENCE FRANCE PRESSE ?? MINKS are raised in captivity as its fur is one of the highest-selling fur worldwide due to its texture.
JONATHAN NACKSTRAND/ AGENCE FRANCE PRESSE MINKS are raised in captivity as its fur is one of the highest-selling fur worldwide due to its texture.
 ?? ROB ENGELARR/AGENCE FRANCE PRESSE ?? A MINK farm forced to close at the Beek en Donk, eastern Netherland­s.
ROB ENGELARR/AGENCE FRANCE PRESSE A MINK farm forced to close at the Beek en Donk, eastern Netherland­s.
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