Kochi: Animal activists campaign to save pets, strays from Covid-19 phobia

KOCHI

: Amidst reports of missing

strays

from the street, animal welfare activists are spreading the message that

pets

and domestic animals are safe and not carriers of Covid-19.

“We are sending out message through the social media and in WhatsApp groups that these animals are safe and not carriers of coronavirus,” said Sally Varma, coordinator,

Humane society

international which works for the welfare of animals in Kerala.

HSI has even released a video campaigning to push for more sensitivity towards animals.

There are fears among the various animal welfare NGOs of missing dogs and cats from the areas that they are normally seen. “Locals have been telling us that some of the dogs have gone missing. We are checking it out,” said

Sachitra Soman

, People for Animals, Kochi

Earlier, following the deaths of a tiger in the zoo,

Wildlife conservation society

has also come out with a factsheet that cats are not easily infected by this coronavirus. There are only two documented cases of SARS-CoV-2 positive domestic cats (and two in domestic dogs); in all four cases, the pets were kept by and in close contact with positive and shedding owners. All the animals involved were asymptomatic or had mild symptoms and recovered (one old dog died of unrelated causes).

Furthermore, more than 5000 cats, dogs and horses were screened in infected areas in 17 countries by real-time PCR. None were found positive, further emphasizing natural infection is very rare in cats.

The extremely low putative infection rates in domestic cats suggests that felids are poor hosts for the SARS-CoV-2 virus and that it is unlikely to become established in wild cats in nature.

“There is no cause for alarm if a few animals go missing because these animals have been made scavengers by humans. They forced these animals to eat the waste that is thrown in plastic covers. Now, because of lockdown, the animals have probably revived their natural hunting behavior for food. “They might learn to catch rodents, rabbits or any other animals. But one thing is sure, they will not attack man. It is not in their nature,” said P O Nameer, head, Centre for wildlife studies, College of forestry,

Thrissur

.

He said that stray animals unlike in the wild don’t have such territorial issues as is being made out. They will just go looking for food where they can find it.

The WCS said that there is no evidence that big cats can transmit the virus to people, and the future likelihood for transmission by big cats to humans is extremely low, based on the following:

1. The current spread of Covid-19 is a result of human to human transmission. Outside the Wuhan market event, there is no known case of a person being infected with Covid-19 by animals, including by pet dogs or cats. The big cats in the Bronx Zoo exhibiting symptoms did not infect people.

2. Covid-19 is unknown from any wild cat population in nature, despite co-occurring with (and possibly preying upon) the presumed origin of the virus, thought to be horseshoe bats. Given the lack of occurrence in nature and the low apparent susceptibility of felids to infection, wild cats are very unlikely hosts for the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus.

3. Transmission of coronavirus relies on exchange of aerial droplets within six feet or, less commonly, passive transmission from surfaces. In a natural setting, even an infected wild cat is physically unable to transmit the virus provided that usual, sensible distance is maintained.