Lifestyle / COVID-19: What Happens To The Strays And Pets During India’s 21-Day Lockdown?

COVID-19: What Happens To The Strays And Pets During India’s 21-Day Lockdown?

Lifestyle Apr 21, 2020

by Mrinalini Sundar

COVID-19 has humans in self-isolation. But what will stray animals do? What will be the plight of pets that are abandoned on the streets? We head to India to take a look at the plight of the strays and pets during the 21-day lockdown.

These are difficult times not just for human beings but for pets and stray animals alike. There is also a debate on whether animals facilitate the spread of coronavirus? According to a report in The Conversation, the answer is “yes”. The report further says, “There is evidence from real-world cases as well as laboratory experiments that both cats and dogs can become infected with COVID-19. In Hong Kong, health officials have tested 17 dogs and eight cats living with COVID-19 patients for the coronavirus. They found evidence of the virus in two dogs: a Pomeranian and a German shepherd, though neither became sick. None of the eight cats were infected or had been sick. However, there is a separate report of an infected cat from Hong Kong.” On the contrary, according to the CBC there is no evidence that companion animals, including pets, can spread the virus that causes COVID-19 to people.

Even though there has been no conclusive evidence, there has been an increase in the number of pets being abandoned. Kaveri Rana Bhardwaj, the president of People For Animals in New Delhi tells us “It is really sad but people have started abusing stray animals. The other day we rescued a dog that was dragged for two kilometres on a bike because people thought COVID-19 transmits from dogs. We rescued the dog but he met his end five days later.”

What Happens To The Strays And Pets During The India's 21-Day Lockdown? — **What Happens To The Strays And Pets During The India’s 21-Day Lockdown?: Rescued animals at Blue Cross.** Picture Credit: www.lbb.in/chennai

Arpitha Rao, who is the Manager of Communication at the Blue Cross of India, Chennai, agrees and says ever since Janta Curfew (aka 21-day lockdown) was declared, they have had almost 5 dogs being dumped on the streets or left at the shelter at night. “I have come to understand that pets don’t spread COVID-19 — it is a misconception,” Rao explains. “People need to understand that when pets are abandoned, they go through depression, anxiety, many of them stop eating, their immunity decreases, and they are susceptible to catch other infections.”

Bhardwaj has about 220 rescued strays — this includes cows, bulls, dogs, cats, and even birds. “On average, we get two calls for rescuing stray animals but now I get about seven calls on an average. It has been crazy since the time COVID began,” she shares.

Bhardwaj and her team have been dealing with horrifying stories since the time COVID-19 began. “I know of a Kashmiri family who locked their German Shepard in the balcony for 14 days because they had to rush back to their home. Similarly, we found a deaf and blind pug on the streets because she was abandoned. She is still in shock. You expect people to become understanding and kind but the opposite keeps happening,” she confesses.

Blue Cross Of India has been shut down but there are currently 20 attendees who stay on campus full time with a general manager. “We are currently not taking in any new rescues unless and until there is an emergency. We want the shelter to be airtight so even our outpatient clinic and birth control surgeries have been suspended.” Rao notes, “we are an organization that is 56 years old so we are well prepared for all calamities. We always have backup and have enough stocks of meds. Since we are part of essential services, it hasn’t been that bad.”

What Happens To The Strays And Pets During The India's 21-Day Lockdown?: Rescued animals at Blue Cross. — **What Happens To The Strays And Pets During The India’s 21-Day Lockdown?: Volunteers at People For Animals with a rescued dog.** Photo Credit: www.twitter.com/pfaindia

But the saving grace amidst all this is that feeding the strays has increased, says Bhardwaj adding, “We have been feeding a lot of strays and so have a lot of people in the country. There are about 200 volunteers under my team who are feeding strays on a daily basis. And with the increase in strays, it has been super difficult for all of us.” Similarly, Blue Cross has initiated a community stray dog feeding program. “We conducted a survey to see how many people feed stray dogs. We came to the conclusion that close to 5-150 stray dogs are fed on a daily basis. So whether Corona or not, people are already feeding pets. We have even tied up with a few restaurants that provide food,” agrees Rao.

As part of this March 25th speech, India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi made it very clear that it is important to feed animals, strays, and not to ignore them. This has also been very useful as several individuals and organizations are coming forward to help animals.

There have also been a few positive stories that have come out of the lockdown. Delhi-based third-year veterinarian student, Vibha Tomar has been feeding strays in the night across Delhi. Her videos and posts have gone viral on social media and have inspired many to do the same.

**What Happens To The Strays And Pets During The India’s 21-Day Lockdown?: Veterinarian student Vibha Tomar feeding strays in her neighbourhood.** Photo Credit: www.instagram.com/vebha_vetlove14

Imagine Mumbai with peacocks and monkeys. Well, you don’t need to imagine that anymore as it is actually happening. According to a report in Deccan Herald, monkeys were spotted on the walls of Rashtrapati Bhawan. Peacocks were perched on top of cars in Mumbai (who could have imagined), a Himalayan black bear was spotted in Gangtok.

**What Happens To The Strays And Pets During The India’s 21-Day Lockdown?: Monkeys taking over the streets of Mumbai.** Photo Credit: www.deccanherald.com

Bollywood has been doing its own bit. Interestingly, Bollywood director Farah Khan’s 12-year-old daughter raised 70,000 Rupees to feed homeless stray animals. How you ask? Well, the clever girl has been sketching people’s pets for Rupees 1,000 a picture. Farah put up a video on LinkedIn that already has 300,000 views.

While these are difficult and disturbing times (with the economy crashing, people getting affected by the pandemic, and mass unemployment), we hope that people take collective responsibility towards stray animals. Feed the strays, be connected with activists, help shelters during rescues, think and re-think before abandoning your pet, and most importantly, be kind!

Main Image Photo Credit: www.twitter.com/pfaindia

Mrinalini Sundar

Author

Mrinalini Sundar (new_girl_in_to) has worked with various Indian national, international publications including Times Of India and is currently based out of Toronto. She's constantly in search of high adventure, exotic food, and new experiences. She is the happiest amidst mountains, with no wi-fi.

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by Mrinalini Sundar

Mrinalini Sundar

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