Adoption and Abandoning of Pets during Lockdown

COVID-19 pandemic has not only impacted human life, but it has also had a significant impact on both stray and pet dogs and cats. During the lockdown, these harmless strays that usually depend on local shopkeepers, restaurants, and small eateries for food and water were left with nothing. Starving strays had complete freedom to roam around streets and dig into waste bins, but even those scraps were no longer available with restaurants and shops being closed.

- Malika Bhavnani

With empty streets and no public disturbance, we'd imagine animals roaming free and enjoying on roads, but unfortunately, that has not been the case. With limited sources of food and no leftovers or waste to feast on, stray dogs and cats are struggling and even getting into fights for food provided by some kind feeders and NGOs. What’s worse is that there's been a surge in road accidents being reported over the past three months of lockdown, causing severe injuries and in several cases even immediate death. During initial days of lockdown, roads were completely empty giving people an opportunity to speed and race. In most cases, drivers have just sped away without hesitation as most people don’t consider it their personal responsibility to help an injured animal. To add to their misery, due to inflicted fear of stray dogs and cats carrying COVID-19, many residents are trying to shoo them away from their territory.

With a host of NGOs across the country taking it upon themselves to initiate feeding programs, several volunteers and animal lovers joined and did their part to help stray animals and abandoned pets. A lot of renowned celebrities too joined the movement and took this opportunity to spread awareness and counsel their followers that strays or their own pets will not transmit Covid-19.