Abandoned. How pets are affected by the pandemic?
During the coronavirus pandemic, the number of stray cats and dogs, including those thrown away by their owners, has increased dramatically. How to take care of animals during quarantine? What difficulties do animal rights activists face? Gazeta.uz report.
According to pet volunteers, with the beginning of the coronavirus pandemic, the number of stray cats and dogs, including those thrown out on the street by their owners, has skyrocketed.
Since March, the Ministry of Health of Uzbekistan has been sending SMS messages about precautionary measures to protect against coronavirus infection. On April 10, citizens were warned against contact with pets without gloves. The exact kind of animals was not specified.
An epidemic of fear and precaution
The founder of the “Hayot” shelter for stray animals, Iroda Matkarimova, confirms that since the beginning of quarantine, the number of pets thrown out into the street has grown. Now more than 1000 animals live in "Hayot".
Before quarantine, the catching service of the Kibray and Chirchik districts of the Tashkent region brought up to 15 dogs a week to the shelter. Now "Hayot" receives such several animals every day.
“They kick out Alabays, purebred dogs, small Chihuahuas. They have collars. Dogs aren't just left outside. One dog was brought into the entrance and tied a leash to the first doorknob on the first floor. I named her Monya. I added her to the shelter, but not all dogs are so lucky. Shame on these owners! " - says Iroda Matkarimova.
According to her, in a month, the addiction of dogs has approximately stopped. Previously, the shelter managed to find a home for 5-20 animals per week. During the entire period of quarantine, only two dogs from "Hayot" found owners. Five more dogs found on the streets of Tashkent, Iroda Matkarimova added in the capital and gave six of them for temporary overexposure.
“If it goes on like this, I don’t know how many dogs there will be at the shelter,” - she worries.
Animals that are not used to living in the wild immediately catch illnesses, become infected with demodectic mange, fall under cars, - added Iroda Matkarimova. Clinics affiliated with the shelter are overflowing with sick dogs abandoned by their owners for fear of getting sick.
In addition to the growing number of stray animals, “Hayot” faced other quarantine challenges. Iroda Matkarimova is supervising the activities of the shelter from Tashkent. Now she is experiencing difficulties with the purchase of products for animals.
“Poultry farms do not work, it’s impossible to buy anything by transfer, I don’t have the right to“ cash ”. I also cannot use my personal card [for charitable transfers]. I have already made big debts ... Construction was suspended ... castration and sterilization were stopped, since not all clinics are now working. Sick dogs are immediately sent for treatment. They also need to be fed. It’s very hard now. ”
Despite the difficult situation of the population, the shelter manages to receive help from caring citizens. Iroda Matkarimova understands that now people are not in the best position, but there are those who are trying to support the shelter financially.
"I'm not complaining. There are those who are worse off than us. I want to tell people: don't throw animals away, ” - said the founder of the shelter.
Isolation with a friend
According to the foreign publisher's report since the beginning of the mandatory self-isolation mode in Western countries, more and more people are taking animals from shelters to cope with loneliness or because they have a lot of free time.
For the first time in history, one of three dog shelters in Palm Beach County, Florida, was empty. All animals were taken by new owners.
“This is the first time that we have been able to distribute all the animals from the shelter,” the Shelter's Community Outreach Manager Elizabeth Harfmann told Gazeta.uz. - There are still pets in our main outbuilding shelters that need to find owners or to accommodate them with caregivers. On the morning of April 21st, we still need help with housing 36 dogs, one cat, two horses, and several chickens. "
According to Elisabeth Harfmann, the empty cells of the shelter are a merit of the entire community. All pets that lived at the shelter found owners, caregivers, or went to partner organizations out of state. At the same time, the nursery was also "emptied" due to the reduction in the number of animals entering the shelter itself.
“We understand that an empty nursery is a fleeting moment, especially for a shelter with free admission, but we wanted to celebrate this success,” - the shelter's workers said.
Fighting an invisible enemy
Dogs and cats thrown out on the street are not the most extreme measure that people go to. Timur Aripov, chairman of the executive committee of the “Mehr va Oqbat” Animal Protection Society, told Gazeta.uz that the organization had received a complaint about cruelty to animals from a resident of Kuvasay, Fergana region.
"[The woman] told us that a man from the "komkhoz" (department of improvement — ed.) on a bicycle with a garrote scattered poison for animals. She caught her breath. She also told us that three days ago the same man caught [the dog] with a garrote, first strangled it a little, and then threw it into a garbage car. After that, the driver turned on the mechanism, and the animal was scrolled alive like garbage,", - "Mehr va Oqibat” said in a letter to the head of the Department of Internal Affairs for the Ferghana region. The woman's great-grandson, a second-grade student, was watching the scene.
According to Timur Aripov, the woman insisted that the employees of the "komkhoz" had no right to cruelly treat animals. “She was told that in connection with the coronavirus, they had an order from above ... to destroy everything that moves,” - the letter says.
Gazeta.uz was unable to find out whether the khokimiyat of the Fergana region is taking such measures, in particular, whether the capture of neglected animals has increased and whether there was an order to kill them.
Timur Aripov added that the Society for the Protection of Animals began to regularly receive complaints from citizens that they saw abandoned animals on the street, however, it is difficult for “Mehr va Oqibat” to work under the conditions of quarantine. So far, the organization is limited to appeals to various authorities and the media.
They meant well
The official Telegram channel for coronavirus Koronavirus Info on March 17 published an answer to the question about the possibility of coronavirus contamination from pets:
“Today, there are seven types of coronaviruses that are the causative agents of acute respiratory diseases in humans. Among these viruses is the new COVID-19. According to the latest data, animals - cats, dogs, hamsters and others - cannot be the source of coronavirus infection caused by these types of viruses. According to the data from the World Health Organization, there have been no cases of infection of cats and dogs with the new coronavirus, as well as the facts of the spread of COVID-19 by pets. "
On April 12, Koronavirus Info published a comment by the chief state sanitary inspector of Uzbekistan, Nurmat Atabekov, on the possibility of transmission of the COVID-19 type coronavirus from dogs and cats to humans, or vice versa.
“So far, seven types of coronaviruses have been proven to cause disease in humans. Four of these are found throughout the world and appear as symptoms of the common cold. Two of them - SARS-CoV-2 and COVID-19 - are considered more dangerous types ... If dogs and cats develop symptoms similar to the clinical picture of coronavirus disease in humans, these dogs may have influenza, parainfluenza, and cats - ARVI (feline asthma). Pets can also have heart failure, pneumonia and dirofilariasis (a parasitic disease caused by helminthiases). "
At the request of Gazeta.uz to clarify what kind of pets were discussed in the mailing list of the Ministry of Health and what studies confirm the danger of these species, the press service of the ministry recommended contacting the Agency for Sanitary and Epidemiological Welfare (ASEW) under the Ministry of Health.
The coordinator of the international health regulations of Uzbekistan, the chief specialist in emergency situations of the ASEW, Professor Ibrahim Mamatkulov, told Gazeta.uz that the coronavirus family is a zoonotic infection (transmitted from animals to humans).
Coronavirus infection rarely causes illness in young cattle. Calf disease manifests itself in the form of fever and intestinal upset.
“In rare cases, there is a possibility of human infection from these animals. COVID-19 could be transmitted from bats, adapt to the human body and then be transmitted from person to person, turning into a pandemic strain with an airborne transmission mechanism, ”said Ibragim Mamatkulov.
ASEW chief specialist Dilorom Tursunova added that COVID-19 is a zoonotic infection, as the virus has mutated. There is no evidence of the transmission of the virus from an animal to a person, but the ASEB warns residents to avoid spreading the infection, if the assumptions of specialists are nevertheless confirmed.
The State Committee for Veterinary Medicine and Development of Animal Breeding told Gazeta.uz that there is not enough scientific evidence of the transmission of the SARS-CoV-2 virus from animal to human.
“Some strains of the coronavirus are zoonotic, that is, common to humans and animals, but most species are not considered zoonotic ... Animals may be the first source of human transmission of COVID-19. However, today ... there is not enough scientific evidence that animals are the source of transmission of the virus, ” - the press service said in a comment by the committee’s deputy chairman Abror Akbarov.
Science and practice
The WHO notes that the zoonotic strains of the coronavirus are SARS-CoV (atypical pneumonia) and MERS-CoV (Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus), which are transmitted to humans from civets and one-humped camels, respectively. A possible source of SARS-CoV-2 in animals has not yet been identified.
The World Organization for Animal Health (OIE) stresses that current evidence suggests that the COVID-19 virus originated from an animal source. Genetic sequence data indicates that SARS-CoV-2 is a close relative of other coronaviruses found in the Rhinolophus bat population. Research is needed to identify the source of the COVID-19 virus or explain the original route of transmission to humans.
“Now COVID-19 is widespread in the human population, there is the possibility of infecting some animals through close contact with infected people. Several dogs, cats, and tigers have tested positive for the COVID-19 virus after close contact with infected people, ” - the OIE said. Investigations into all cases are ongoing.
Preliminary results indicate that cats are the most susceptible species to COVID-19, according to the OIE. This is also confirmed by a recent study by Chinese scientists published in Science.
“We found that ferrets and cats are very susceptible to SARS-CoV-2, dogs have a low susceptibility, and livestock, including pigs, chickens and ducks, are not susceptible to the virus,” - the scientific research concluded.
SARS-CoV-2 viruses multiply in the upper and lower respiratory tract of ferrets (in the turbinate, soft palate and tonsils), but do not replicate in other tested organs (brain, kidney, trachea, heart, liver, spleen, pancreas, small intestine).
Researchers in cats show that SARS-CoV-2 can multiply efficiently in cats, with younger cats being more susceptible to the virus. More importantly, the virus can be transmitted between cats by airborne droplets, notes the Science.
Simple choice
Even if some species of animals can carry SARS-CoV-2, this is not a reason and even less an excuse for cruel treatment of them, insists Timur Aripov, chairman of the executive committee of the NGO of “Mehr va Oqibat”.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) of the US Department of Health and Human Services, on its website, asks citizens to "treat pets the same as other family members - do not allow them to interact with people or animals outside the home." If SARS-CoV-2 is found in one of the family members with pets, it is recommended to isolate everyone from the patient, including pets.
“People with COVID-19 need to isolate themselves from other people and animals ... until we learn more about how this virus affects animals. If you need to take care of a pet or be around animals when you are sick, wear a mask and wash your hands before and after dealing with pets, ” stated the CDC's guidelines.
“It is important that COVID-19 does not lead to inappropriate responses to domestic or wild animals that could jeopardize their well-being and health or negatively impact biodiversity,” emphasizes the OIE.
The CDC recommends you to walk your dogs on a leash at least 2 m away from other people and animals, do not gather in groups, avoid crowded places, and do not allow strangers to come into contact with your pets. It is recommended not to let cats out of the house.
Veterinarian Rimma Nam noted that real-time polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) analysis is required to detect SARS-CoV-2 in animals. However, she said, in practice, veterinarians in Uzbekistan usually determine coronaviruses in animals by symptoms, without laboratory tests.
Rimma Nam added that pet owners should also wash their paws after walking and their hands after contact with food and utensils of animals.
Among other precautions, OIE recalls hand washing, avoiding touching mucous membranes, and avoiding contact with spoiled animal products in the markets. Raw animal products should be handled carefully.
During visiting livestock markets, avoid direct contact with animals, as well as touching surfaces that the animals come into contact with. Food safety regulations must be strictly followed.
Timur Aripov noted that “Mehr va Oqibat” follows news and researches on the zoonotic nature of COVID-19.
"We urge the citizens of our country to show care and attention for animals, especially for pets, do not need to throw them out on the street or leave them somewhere. Animals depend on humans, and humanity manifests itself precisely in difficult times and difficult situations. You need to take care of the pets, handle their dishes, maintain hygiene after a walk and clean them up with plastic bags, keeping the streets clean. Remember that we are responsible for them, ” - commented in “Mehr va Oqibat ”.
The organization appeals to the heads of city and regional beautification services with a request to hold preventive conversations with the employees of the animal capture teams and explain in detail that responsibility is provided for cruelty to animals. The procedure for catching is regulated by law, and it cannot be violated, insists in "Mehr va Oqibat".
“We are asking the press service of the Ministry of Health to explain in detail why animals should not be touched without gloves during the distribution of messages warning citizens, just as people, metal surfaces, banknotes and other objects should not be touched. It is necessary to convey information in a detailed manner so that people do not get rid of their four-legged friends. Information should not be contradictory, especially when the fate of our smaller brothers depends on it, ” - the Society for the Protection of Animals emphasized.
Timur Aripov added: “Human life is valuable, and now the government is doing everything possible to protect citizens. However, we want to remind you of the importance and value of any form of life on earth. "
Tashkent, 23.04.2020
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The original text in Russian translated by 3 Ortikova Nigina
The original text in Russian prepared by Sabina Bakaeva
Source: gazeta.uz