Coronavirus has not just affected humans but it is also playing havoc with the lives of four-legged strays. Food and water is scarce for them in the scorching summer all over the country. With restaurants and eateries downing shutters and food trucks parked at homes, strays have been struggling to find food.
Fearing that household pets can also transmit the virus, panic-stricken owners have been dumping their pets into the streets, adding to the stray population. NGOs and organisations are doing their bit to help these animals; a few others are doing the same and are reaching out to as many animals as possible. Here’s how you can help too!
- Keep a bowl of water outside your house for strays. As summer approaches, dogs, cats, cattle and even birds will be able to quench their thirst.
- Spare a couple of rotis or leftover rice and some milk; it can make a filling meal for hungry strays.
- You can foster animals at local pet shelters, thus reducing the resource crunch that these organizations are currently facing.
- If you have an opportunity to donate masks, hand sanitizers, grains, pet food and other necessities, it will make a whole world of difference.
- Rumours impact safety of pet and stray animals. Do not indulge in them. Get information from the WHO or AWBI (Animal Welfare Board of India) websites.
The feeding of strays is as much a part of urban life as traffic jams and malls. The arguments against this practice – that it destroys the primordial hunting instincts of animals and encourages them to cluster in congested neighborhoods – is counterbalanced by the observation that undomesticated creatures are gentler and friendlier towards strangers when their stomachs are full.
Be kind to stray animals, the disease may not kill them but the apathy of people will.
