Good News: Dog lovers in Hyderabad feed strays amid COVID-19 lockdown

Amid the nationwide lockdown until May 17 to curb the spread of the novel coronavirus, millions across the nation are confined to their homes leaving stray dogs without food. A team in Hyderabad has stood up for the cause and has started feeding the street dogs around Osmania University campus as animals were unable to get food from restaurant leftovers owing to their unprecedented shutdown in the face of the global health crisis. Shashi Goud told a news agency that OU campus is also closed leaving no edible food for the furry animals. This is the reason that urged the team to take action and rectify the issue. Tarnaka Raju also said that their team is currently feeding over 300 dogs every day. 

Shashi Goud was quoted by ANI saying: “Street dogs here in Osmania University campus and nearby areas feed on the leftover food from tiffin centres and canteens.”

“After the lockdown has started, the canteens in OU campus are closed, due to which the street dogs here have no food to eat. That is the reason we are feeding the street dogs here. In the campus, there are around 200 dogs. Our team goes around the nearby areas. We feed chicken rice and curd rice to these dogs daily,” he added.

Tarnaka Raju said, “Our team is feeding around 300 dogs daily, as the canteens in this campus area are closed.”

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'Pass the food challenge'

Meanwhile, a new trend #PassTheFood has been making several round son the internet and is inspired by the popular #PassTheBrush challenge. Internet users are taking up the challenge to feed stray animals and are inspiring other people to do the same amid the coronavirus lockdown. The unique challenge requires participants to feed stray animals outside their homes and record a video while doing that, then post it online with #PassTheFood. 

The challenge will help animals living on streets amid the lockdown as they are left alone with little or no help while people are not allowed to go outdoors. Netizens posted videos by passing on biscuits as part of the challenge to help strays outside their houses, as many as possible. 

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(With ANI inputs)

Imgae Source: Unpslash/Representative