By “If you judge people, you have no time to love them.” – Mother Teresa.
In these difficult times when the world is reeling from the wrath of a virus so dangerous, the only thing that can save our souls is kindness. The way this phenomenon has been felicitating mother nature is almost miraculous. Our bane has become a boon for the environment. But we also forget the repercussions of such a phenomenon on the animals that we have domesticated so conveniently and now don’t know how to sustain their existence. It is because of us that these animals are roaming around hopelessly to find food and shelter in times like these. The effects of the Corona Virus on these beautiful beings are quite horrendous. Perhaps, we must rectify the consequences of our own doing show kindness towards animals and save as many of these innocent being as possible.
The Impact of Coronavirus on the Lives of Stray Animals:
Since the lockdown has started, many stray animals are struggling to find food. This has led to a lot of starving souls and their eventual death. Before the lockdown started, these strays would eat food that was thrown around by families and restaurants. A lot of animal lovers also fed these angels regularly in the past. But since the lockdown, the scarcity of food and resources has led to people not leaving their homes for such tasks. The April heat is also leading to a lot of dehydrated animals roaming around deserted streets.
The Sad Saga of Abandoned Pets & Closed Animal Shelters:
Many people have abandoned their fur babies thinking they would bring in the virus at home and spread it further to the family. These poor beings didn’t even know they would bear the brunt of a pandemic for no fault whatsoever.
The animal shelters have been hit hard by this as well. The scarcity of pet food in the market and the lockdown has resulted in a lot of shelters scrambling for food daily. The hysteria is such that many fear these animals might spread the virus to them. A lot of these shelters have also shut down as per the curfew norms.
Several cattle owners in different regions in India are used to letting their cows loose. These dairy animals walk in the entire city eating leftover food and garbage. In the morning, these cattle owners go get their animals so that they can milk them. This way, they don’t have to spend on their food and shelter and they get to make money off of them. This already is a sad situation and Coronavirus has made it worse. Before the lockdown, a lot of people used to feed them grass and fodder. But since the lockdown, these poor darlings are roaming around without much food to eat.
The Solution:
Not everything is lost. In times like these, there are countless kind and empathetic people who feed stray animals.
Shantanu Naidu from Mumbai is the founder of Motopaws. He feeds a lot of animals daily with his friends and group members.
Like him, a lot of people are doing this silently and saving a lot of lives on a daily basis. In a lot of cities, the local municipal bodies have designated a time slot for such animal activists and animal lovers. These people go around in the nearby areas and feed as many animals as they can. These unsung heroes either cook a lot of rice and chicken, rice and curd or Rotis for animals or buy dog food in bulk to feed hundreds of these fur babies daily. This way, you can save a lot of lives and show kindness towards animals.
NGOs like Animal Aid Unlimited in Udaipur take care animals who are injured and suffering. They also take donations for the betterment of stray animals in their city.
Foster Or Adopt a Pet:
You can also foster different animals from these shelters or adopt stray dogs and cats. Be it on a temporary or permanent basis, this act will help a lot of animals in your locality. You can inspire a lot of people by being a better human being and giving these cuties a chance at a good life. Trust us, these animals are excellant companions and this is the best way to do deal with stress in these trying times.
United We Stand:
We all can do our bit and save a lot of lives if we want to. We can form groups online and do this together or cater to the areas we live in individually while maintaining social distancing. If we take all the necessary precautions then we can save a lot of lives together and make a difference positively. The pandemic is the result of our carelessness and the only way we can make a difference is by showing kindness towards animals.
If you also want to contribute to this cause of feeding strays and need some simple recipes of home-cooked food for your furry friends then click here and read our blog.
