19 Mar 2020
Charities for animal welfare assessing likely impact of coronavirus crisis and hoping UK reality won't match that of Wuhan.
John Bonner
Job Title
Animal welfare charities are assessing the likely impact of the coronavirus crisis on their activities, while working to develop contingency plans for dealing with any eventuality.
Senior staff have been looking at how they could cope with the most extreme scenarios, like those faced by their colleagues in the Chinese city of Wuhan where the pandemic began. Welfare shelters there have been overwhelmed by the numbers of dogs abandoned on the streets.
But as the number of human coronavirus cases in the UK rises, Paula Boyden, veterinary director for Dogs Trust, said no evidence yet existed of an upsurge in the number of animals being taken into rescue centres.
She said: “There have been whispers that some centres are becoming fuller although that is only anecdotal. But we are concerned about what happens next.
“Rehoming rates will go down because fewer people are able to get out and about. Unfortunately, another likely issue is that if the numbers of people affected by the virus continues to grow, that will mean there will be pet owners who pass away and that could cause an increase in the numbers of pets that are relinquished.”
One factor that has led to pets being abandoned in China was the unfounded belief the virus can be transmitted by dogs.
However, the possibility of infection being carried in the fur of dogs coming into charity shelters from virus-positive homes has shaped the advice being offered to staff.
Dr Boyden added: “We need to ensure that normal biosecurity measures are in place and take care when handling animals. Fortunately, it looks as though washing the animal on arrival will be effective in destroying the virus. For some time now, staff have been encouraged to follow the government advice on using sanitisers and regularly washing our hands.”
Dr Boyden pointed out there were many gaps in knowledge about the new virus, but said: “We have to face the likelihood of significant effects on the running of our shelters. We are making plans for how we will deal with this and continue providing for the animals in our care.”
“We must also look after our own staff and the volunteers on whom we are heavily reliant. Many of those volunteers are retired people or they come from the other groups that are considered to be most vulnerable to the effects of this disease. These issues are all part of the conversation that we will be having as the epidemic develops.”
