Would You Throw Out a Family Member?

By: Reem Elmaghraby

@reemelmaghrabyy

A number of people have abandoned their pets and tossed them to the streets for fear of their transmitting COVID-19, endangering many animals and placing a huge strain on animal shelters.

The World Health Organization (WHO) has emphatically said that there is no evidence that dogs, cats or any pets can transmit the novel coronavirus, however, further tests will be conducted to understand how animals are affected.

The WHO has stated that there has been one case of a dog being infected from its human owner in Hong Kong but there is no evidence that the dog or any pet is able to transmit COVID-19.

“Some coronaviruses cause cold-like illnesses in people, while others cause illness in certain types of animals, such as cattle, camels and bats. Some coronaviruses, such as canine and feline coronaviruses, only infect animals and do not infect humans,” says the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

Abdelrahman Youssef, the Chairman of Board of Directors at Cairo Animals Rescue Team (CART), said that people in Egypt have been fed rumors to stay away from all types of animals and thus have begun throwing out their pets as a way to avoid contracting the coronavirus.

“The media has been insisting from day one [of the Coronavirus spread] that dogs and cats transmit coronavirus.They shouldn’t be spreading false information that causes people to panic and act hastily,” Youssef said.

He added that the government has contributed to spreading these rumors as they have put up instructions in the metro areas that include warning people about interacting with pets. 

Youssef mentioned that most pets have always lived indoors and have been fed and cared for by humans and it is extremely difficult for them to be able to live on the streets alone. Most of them end up dead, either from the inability to hunt for food or from other animals attacking them.

CART, amongst other shelters, has been trying to accommodate as many abandoned animals as possible, but their resources are limited and they have become overcrowded.

“So many people are throwing their dogs and cats onto the streets and we’re trying to help as much as possible, but we can’t keep up with the numbers of pets thrown out,” Youssef said.

Youssef also stated that the Ministry of Agriculture, represented by both the General Authority for Veterinary Services and Localities such as districts and governorates, has been going out after the installed curfew to kill dogs and animals in an attempt to stop the coronavirus spread. 

He added that these are inhumane acts and that there is no reason behind them.

In addition to trying to help as many dogs as possible, many organizations have been trying to spread awareness on the matter aiming to educate people to prevent them from throwing out their animals in the first place.

The Animal Rights Association (ARA), a club at AUC, is holding an awareness campaign for that purpose.

“ARA is trying to raise awareness as much as possible through social media to encourage people not to abandon their pets and to also encourage them to donate to shelters who are in desperate need of help,” said Zenah Helmy, co-founder and former president of ARA, who is currently running the campaign.

Sarah Saleh, a visual arts junior at AUC who has a dog herself, said that pet owners should conduct some research before taking drastic action.

She says abandoning pets shows a lack of compassion.

“I think it’s very irresponsible and painful for me to even imagine,” Saleh told The Caravan. 

“Throwing animals to the streets should not be an option no matter what, there are so many ways this could have been dealt with even if it were true.”