Pets and strays across Pakistan suffer along with humans as the coronavirus pandemic shuts down the country, with pet markets like the one in Karachi’s infamous Empress Market being hit particularly hard.
“We have taken around 20 to 25 cats from Empress Market shops and relocated them to shelters such as the Ayesha Chundrigarh Foundation and the Innocent Pet Shelter but there are a lot more animals still suffering in there,” said vet Dr Shalla Sharon Hayat, who has been working to rescue animals during the lockdown.
During the lockdown, animals have been abandoned in cages in markets and pet stores in Karachi. Many have starved and died. Dr. Sheila is a vet working tirelessly to help collect, vaccinate, and find shelter for these poor animals. Please, please, PLEASE donate. And share. pic.twitter.com/W9gwRoCo5T
— Jawziya F. Zaman (@reracinated) March 31, 2020
“The current heat wave is also causing problems as the animals are kept in inhumane conditions in really small cages and they are dying there,” she explained.
“The shop keepers aren’t willing to give up their animals unless they can clearly see that they are dying and by that time it’s usually too late. We rescued seven severely dehydrated kittens from them and only one survived,” she added. “We had to beg them and call people with influence to let us take more before we managed to rescue as many as we did.”
Cats are not the only animals that are suffering too. “A lot of dogs and pigeons have also died.”
While governments in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Islamabad have allowed pet shops to remain open during the coronavirus pandemic so that the animals are not harmed, Sindh and Punjab have not allowed for such a provision.
While the Sindh government has been sending out vets to check on the welfare of animals in registered pet shops—with a team of volunteers also set up to help animals during this time—there is a fear that most shopkeepers will not reveal the animals in poor conditions as it might shed some light on the way they are kept.
Some believe that shopkeepers may also be exaggerating the number of animals that have died in order to try and get some relief from the government.
“A shopkeeper told me he lost 400 quails yesterday but when I asked him where they were and where had they even been kept, he said he had buried them,” said Sameer who visited the Empress Market recently. “Most of them live across the road so they can very easily take care of their animals in terms of food and water. It’s just that they are kept in such small spaces and have little shelter from the heat, which has nothing to do with the lock-down.”
Celebrities such as Mansha Pasha have encouraged fans to adopt strays during the lockdown.
Anyone who is lonely and alone during this period….please go and adopt a pet. They are dying in shelters and on the streets at the moment because theres noone to feed them. It will help in the loneliness and make the time go by much faster!
— manshapasha (@manshapasha) March 31, 2020
She said that anyone who was lonely and alone during this period should adopt a pet. “They are dying in shelters and on the streets at the moment because there’s no one to feed them. It will help in the loneliness and make the time go by much faster!”
MNA Aamir Liaquat took to Instagram to share a similar message. He requested everyone to feed stray animals. In the post, he said: “Due to the #lockdowneffect, #StrayAnimals have been affected as all marriage halls/restaurants/hotels are closed, they have no place to eat. I request all to feed the stray with leftovers or proper food (if you can afford) these animals are our responsibility as they live among us.”
