Over the last few weeks, animal shelters across Bengaluru have received numerous calls stating that pet dogs had been abandoned on the roads. These shelters also began receiving calls from pet parents asking if it is “safe” to have a dog around. Those running animal shelters say that there is a common misconception which most people have that pet dogs act as transmitters of the virus. This despite the World Health Organisation stating there is no evidence at present that states that dogs are transmitters of SARS-Cov-2.
On March 16, Benny, a 5-year-old golden retriever, was handed over to 29-year-old Anivesh Sririth, a techie in Bengaluru. Benny’s owners, a middle-aged couple from Andhra Pradesh, had decided to return to their native village and decided to leave him behind. They left Benny in Anivesh’s house, which was right below theirs.
“They told me that they did not want to take him along as he could spread coronavirus. They asked me to decide whether to keep him or turn him to a shelter. I decided to take care of Benny. He goes up to the second floor door every day and sits there. I have decided to move to another house after this. It may help him heal,” Anivesh said.
Four days ago, Sudha Narayanan, founder of Charlie’s Animal Rescue Centre (CARE), found Honey, a labrador, outside the gate of the Hebbal Veterinary Hospital. Honey was unconscious and had a serious injury on her lower back.
“She had passed out due to the blood loss. She had a collar and was clearly abandoned. She may have been attacked by other dogs or may have been in an accident. It looked like she was trying to find her way back,” Sudha said.
Honey was taken to CARE, where she is currently being treated. Sudha said that every time a new person enters, Honey looks hoping it is her owner. “This happens a lot with abandoned animals. They wait for their families. We have been giving her a lot of attention to help her recover. When pet dogs are abandoned, it takes anywhere between one to five months for the dog to recover emotionally,” she added.
According to retired Colonel Navaz Shariff, from People For Animals in Bengaluru, said that he receives at least 10 to 15 calls every day from pet owners, asking if they can give up their dogs.
“Most of these calls are made because people believe that dogs and animals in general transmit coronavirus. There is no evidence of it yet. The government and the Veterinary Association of India have clearly stated that there is no evidence that animals can be transmitters of the virus, although they can contract it like the tigers in Bronx Zoo in the US,” he added.
Sudha has now asked one of the managers at CARE to attend phone calls everyday as she has been receiving many calls from concerned pet owners asking if their dogs can be cared for as they don’t want to keep them any longer.
“We have been counselling them that dogs or cats or pet animals are not transmitters of the virus as there is no evidence of it. Dogs can be carriers of several types of coronavirus but they don’t transmit it to humans,” she added.
Fear leads to rise in cruelty towards stray animals
At around 1 pm on March 24, Fasana Alisha, a resident of Sahakar Nagar in Bengaluru, went to feed dogs in Shantivana Layout. A woman came out and asked Fasana to not entertain the dogs as they had allegedly attacked one of the children. When Fasana agreed to leave, the woman began shooting at the dogs with an air gun. A video of the incident went viral.
An FIR was registered against the woman who shot at the dogs. “The number of cases of cruelty towards stray animals, especially dogs is increasing. We get at least three critical cases of injured dogs daily. I receive numerous calls. Depending upon how critical the injury is, I decide to go pick them up. If I can still pick up the dog a few hours later, I would first attend to the most critical case,” Sudha said.
Colonel Navaz said that he too has been receiving calls regarding cases of cruelty towards stray animals due to the fear of dogs being transmitters of coronavirus. “These cases are increasing because of the misconception,” he added.
Former Union Minister for Women and Child Welfare and Chairperson of People for Animals, Maneka Gandhi issued a statement on April 7 stating that there has not been a single case across the world of dogs, cats or birds being transmitters of SARS-Cov-2.
“These animals, whether on the streets or in homes, are safe and must be looked after. This has clearly been stated by the World Health Organisation, the World Veterinary Association and Animal Welfare Board of India,” Maneka Gandhi’s statement reads.