Is COVID-19 just an excuse for pet abandonment?

Lokesh Jey’s short plays out like any other film on a happy family of four. While the father’s favourite pastime is playing frisbee with his two kids on the beach, the mother is showering love. But COVID-19 turns things upside down for the family and the younger one finds himself being gradually ignored, finally abandoned. Frisbee — An Untold Neighbourhood Story touches on an often-overlooked issue in the coronavirus era: pet abandonment. The film casts a light on the misinformation regarding the transmission of virus through animals, among other things. Lokesh, who feeds around 20 street dogs every day, was prompted to make this film out of real-life events.
Ever since the outbreak of the virus, pet abandonment has continued to spiral, world over. Animal activist Sai Vignesh has rescued close to 12 such abandoned dogs in the past few months. Of the many dogs he has rescued, an Indian spitz in Tiruvallur was a turning point for him. “A police inspector in Tiruvallur contacted me about a terribly injured dog near a station. On inquiry, I found out that the dog had been abandoned by its owners. The dog chased after its owners, who drove off in a bike,” he recalls. The Spitz is now slowly recovering and is set to be adopted by the inspector who reported the incident.

All it takes is one rumour on WhatsApp to be circulated, he says. Paranoia apart, the coronavirus is just a convenient excuse for people who want to abandon their dogs for other reasons, he adds. Pets are abandoned on a regular basis and the coronavirus era is no exception, explains Chennai-based animal activist Shravan Krishnan. The virus-enforced financial upturn, too, is a reason behind abandonment, the activist adds. “We have seen a couple of cases where people have tested positive for the virus, but do not bother to take care of the dogs. We have gone and picked up the dogs. The government should also find a solution to temporarily take care of the pets during this situation. Not everybody can afford dog boarding,” he adds.
Lokesh agrees. “This is happening every day. Just that now they have a solid reason to give away their pets,” he says. Pregnancies, RWAs and shifting of houses are a few common reasons why people abandon pets, Shravan notes, adding that the larger issue could be tackled only by a holistic approach.
Adoption over shopping could often make a difference, he observes. “Buying a dog is more of an impulse. When you adopt, you think through it, ” Shravan says.

How to make disowning pets difficult

Stricter laws for people buying animals; regulation for breeding
Increased education among police and RWAs about the
legality of owning pets
Background checks before adoption/breeding
Encouraging adoption overshopping
Recommending spay-neutering on time
– Shravan Krishnan, animal activist



End of the article

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