Tracked: Social media increases chances of reunions
“On events such as Guy Fawkes and Diwali, animals are known to flee their normal environment because of fear or panic.”
JOHANNESBURG SOUTH – More and more people are taking to social media to report animals as lost or found and leaving a contact number to help reunite lost pets with their rightful owners.
Animal Anti-Cruely League (AACL) public relations officer, Heather Cowie, acknowledged that social media platforms such as Facebook groups or pages and Twitter accounts of rescue organisations have had significant success in reuniting owners with their pets.
“When pets go missing, owners are more likely to get a greater response to social media postings, particularly when these are on the Facebook pages or Twitter accounts of rescue organisations. Through sharing these posts, the network reach is far more extensive and the chance of recovery greater,” said Cowie.
“On events such as Guy Fawkes and Diwali, animals are known to flee their normal environment because of fear or panic. This again highlights the importance of being aware of when events where fireworks are going to be used will be taking place and putting adequate measures in place beforehand, to minimise the effects on your pets,” added Cowie.
When residents find a lost animal and if the animal can be safely contained, they must still contact the local welfare organisation to collect the animal. In addition to posting on social media, residents who decide to keep the lost animal with them, need to notify the local welfare organisation to alert them of this fact.
Residents have to exercise caution when using social platforms for successful reunions as there are dangers attached to this including traders or exporters who may take the dogs or pets.
