As you’ve probably known by now from the news, the epicentre of the novel coronavirus outbreak, Wuhan, has been put under lockdown by Chinese government officials to prevent any further spreading of the virus in China. This lockdown has been enforced since 23rd January 2020, and as you can imagine, it has affected many of those who are living within the city. Travel bans have also been instituted to prevent anyone from entering Wuhan city.
Source: today online
But amid all of the turmoil that this has caused, many of us forget that just like everyone else out there, many of these Wuhan residents have pet animals of their own in their homes. As a result of these travel bans, it has become impossible for those who have travelled outside of Wuhan before the outbreak to return and take care of their pets.
Source: weibo
Source: weibo
However, as reported by China Daily, an animal protection group has taken upon itself the hefty responsibility of making sure that these animals are properly tended to. On January 26th 2020, a notice was put up over social media encouraging Wuhan residents who have pets that have been neglected due to the lockdown to contact the organisation directly.
Source: weibo
All the pet owners have to do is pay a small fee for them to hire a locksmith to unlock their doors, and register with the organisation.
They would even provide video calls to show the pet owners the condition of their pets, and replenish their pet food for free!
It is said that the service they offered was fully signed up with pet owners living in three areas of Wuhan, and they have managed to offer help to over 300 stranded animals. They plan to visit another 400 homes soon, and estimate that with their current volunteer team, they will be able to visit over 40 to 50 homes on average, according to a video update they posted to Weibo.
Source: weibo
“If we don’t offer help, the dogs and cats would have decomposed at home before their owners got home,” Du Fan, president of the Wuhan Small Animal Protection Association, said.
While there is currently no news as to whether the lockdown will be lifted anytime soon, the acts of kindness that this group has shown these stranded animals have garnered plenty of praise online.
We hope that the Wuhan Small Animal Protection Association would continue their efforts into keeping pet animals safe during this difficult period in Wuhan, and pray that this period will come to an end soon!
Also read: Top Virus Expert Claims Wuhan Virus May Transmit To Household Pets Too, Not Just Humans
