COVID-19 Impact; Hundreds of Pets are Dying in Pakistan 

Amid the coronavirus, India’s neighbouring country Pakistan also witnessed the havoc created by the deadly virus. Pakistan also imposed a nation-wide lockdown like many other countries including India, to contain the spread of the deadly virus.

In Pakistan, hundreds of shops and markets were closed due to the lockdown, but the domesticated animal markets were kept unconsidered, which resulted in the deaths of thousands of animals.

Those who survived were later rescued from the specialist corner of Empress Market in Karachi, by activists after requesting the government to provide them access to the markets amid the imposed lockdown.

Ayesha Chundrigar, an animal activist in Pakistan tells about the sufferings of the animals, as quoted by news agency AFP, said, “I could hear the cries of animals that survived caged, without food, two weeks after the lockdown was announced”.

Ayesha, who runs ACF animal rescue in Pakistan said, “it was a very horrifying incident, more than 70 per cent of animals in the shops were dead; their bodies were lying on the ground”.

A similar incident was reported in Lahore, 20 dogs were found dead near Tollinton Market, in a sewer. This market is known as the hub for pet businesses in Pakistan.

Kiran Maheen, rescued more than two dozen dogs, cats and rabbits post requesting the officers at the market to permit her, though she too was late as most of them were already dead. Kiran, as quoted by AFP said, “When the police opened up the shutters, a lot of animals were already lying dead inside,’ adding that many had suffocated from a lack of air”.

Pakistan had earlier, imposed the lockdown till 5th April with resumption to run a normal business.

The Minister for Planning and Development, Asad Umar, announced on 1st April that as precautionary measures amid the coronavirus outbreak in the country the lockdown has been extended till 14th April. There are 4,005 active cases of corona in Pakistan and 54 deaths have been reported so far.

Amid the global red alert, most of the countries are taking necessary steps, the world as an organization led by humankind should not forget that the ecological biosphere is incomplete without the other types of fauna, while proving the character to the term ‘social animal’.