The city of Wuhan, China is now world-famous. The city shot into the public consciousness when news of a deadly virus outbreak originating there began appearing in the media. In efforts to control the novel coronavirus epidemic, Chinese officials shut down the city and forced evacuations, leaving people scrambling to get their affairs in order before they had to flee. Thousands left their homes, friends, and places of work, but many also left something else --
their beloved pets. Sign to urge the Chinese government to step in and help rescue the beloved pets abandoned during the coronavirus crisis. Many evacuees didn't imagine that they would be away for too long. With that in mind, loving owners left just enough food and water to hold their pets over for a few days.
But now, nearly a month has gone by and those abandoned pets are now in danger of starving, or worse. Fake news has also put their lives in danger. Some people believe that dogs and cats could get and or spread the COVID-19 (the disease caused by the novel coronavirus). But as Hong Kong SPCA has told the public, while it may be true that pets can be infected by coronaviruses, that does not mean they are infectious to humans. Still, this myth has pushed many cities in the region to issue warnings that any and all dogs or cats seen in public will be killed.
The city of Hongjiang in Hunan Province, for example, told residents that pets in public places would be killed "without exception."While China is battling COVID-19 to save its human citizens they should also ensure that the animals their humans love are protected. It's imperative that these animals are saved instead of dying due to misconceptions or starvation.
Please sign the petition and ask the Chinese government to form a task force to work on saving and reuniting the pets of coronavirus evacuees.
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