About 50,000 pets have reportedly been left alone at home in Wuhan based on the number of residents who have left the city, but there are at least 600,000 to 800,000 cats and dogs in Wuhan.
SOO KIM: ‘Thousands of pets in Wuhan are estimated to be trapped inside homes and in danger of dying from starvation in the absence of their owners, who have not been allowed to return to the city following the ongoing coronavirus outbreak, animal advocates claim. The capital of Hubei province, where the virus was first discovered, has been on lockdown since January 23 in the wake of the epidemic…
Up to 50,000 pets have reportedly been left alone at home in Wuhan based on the number of residents who have left the city, which is home to an estimated 11 million people, according to a local volunteer known as Lao Mao who has been roaming the city to help free any pets trapped in homes, Reuters reports.
Several pet owners, who have been either quarantined or stranded in another part of the country following the outbreak, were said to be contacting Lao Mao and others on social media to help save their pets reportedly using the hashtag/term “save the pets left behind in Wuhan” on the Chinese social media platform Weibo, CNA (Channel News Asia) reports…
“The volunteers on our team, me included, have saved more than 1,000 pets since Jan. 25,” said Lao Mao, declining to disclose his real name because he did not want his family to know he was out and about in the city. “If we don’t offer help, the dogs and cats would have decomposed at home before their owners got home,” said Du Fan, president of the Wuhan Small Animal Protection Association, the China Daily reports.
“It’s our responsibility to help the animals,” he added… With various homes being locked, the volunteers are finding it difficult to access these private apartments without permission and authorization, according to a post on the official Facebook page of the association…
The association has also reportedly helped hundreds of animals that have been left abandoned since January 23 after being contacted by the owners to locate their pets. The organization is said to have been contacted by more than 700 families asking for help and there are reportedly at least 600,000 to 800,000 cats and dogs in Wuhan, according to the China Daily’. SOURCE…
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