Number of dumped pets on the rise
It is more responsible to properly surrender an animal to a local shelter than to abandon it, so in that sense, the concern isn’t solely about animal neglect, but about misconceptions and a generally unfair treatment of animals, which risks leading to neglect.
Daisy Foundation is a non-profit organisation that supports animal welfare organisations with crucial resources and cash donations, using online fundraising and by raising awareness on social media.
“Although we don’t have a shelter, we work with shelters often and follow animal-welfare events closely. Please note that this means that we don’t function as an animal rescue, but rather, our NPC supports shelters in need of donations. We’ve been doing this work for a year, so we’re definitely willing to give you our perspective,” said co-founder Dylan Els.
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Amidst the Covid-19 pandemic, Daisy Foundation is concerned about animal welfare from two perspectives: firstly, they are worried about the well-being of animals during this crisis, and secondly, they are concerned about the economic effect this pandemic will have on the animal welfare sector.
It is more responsible to properly surrender an animal to a local shelter than to abandon it, so in that sense, the concern isn’t solely about animal neglect, but about misconceptions and a generally unfair treatment of animals, which risks leading to neglect.
“Our biggest concern is that some shelters are experiencing an uptick in surrendered pets. We worry that misleading or false information – including a strange trend of some supermarkets printing posters with incorrect information around animals and the virus – may cause animals to be neglected or abandoned.
“While increased surrenders are usually a very difficult situation for shelters, this current panic is totally unnecessary because there is currently no evidence to suggest that domestic pets can transmit the coronavirus to humans,” said Els.
Even for shelters that haven’t yet experienced an unusually high number of abandoned animals, there is a fear that surrenders and abandonments will spike if Covid-19 cases increase, and that also explains why most rescue organisations are constantly trying to correct the record on animals and the coronavirus on their social media pages.
According to Daisy Foundation, the economic uncertainty around the pandemic has severely restricted the public’s ability to donate, and this has a major effect on the welfare work of shelters, but also impacts their staff, and the families that rely on this income.
In terms of animal welfare, Daisy Foundation hopes that shelters will be able to recover soon, because animal-welfare activity is always ongoing and the whole sector will have to continue operating, despite poorer circumstances.
“We urge everyone to adhere the regulations set in place by the government, and to do their bit to slow the spread of the novel coronavirus in South Africa. That way, we can all stay healthy, and get back to working for animals in full force,” said Els.
