Published 11:47 IST, March 24th 2020
Maneka Gandhi urges people to feed stray animals during coronavirus lockdown
Amid the rapidly spreading coronavirus outbreak, several parts of India have gone into lockdown. Menaka Gandhi has appealed to people to continue to feed strays
Advertisement
Amid the rapidly spreading coronavirus outbreak, several parts of India have gone into lockdown. Menaka Gandhi has appealed to people to continue to feed stray animals so that they do not end up an unforeseen casualty of the lockdown. According to reports, thousands of stray cats and dogs in India depend on daily markets, restaurants and people for food but these are all closes and absent during the lockdown.
'Feed the Strays'
As per reports, keeping exactly this in mind Bhartiya Janata Party leader and former Women and Child Minister Maneka Gandhi recently released a statement wherein she asked Indians to feed as many stray animals as possible so as to help them survive. In her statement, she said that street dogs, cats and cows can not give coronavirus to humans and during a lockdown, if they are not fed, they will die which will create more problems.
I have requested all animal welfare workers to feed the animals during this period of a lockdown. I will be doing the same. Please allow them to do so. If there is any problem, please contact me on 08800067890. pic.twitter.com/P7yvoZCuYJ
— Maneka Sanjay Gandhi (@Manekagandhibjp) March 23, 2020
Taking to Twitter, she asked her followers to show compassion and feed even the pigeons during the lockdown. She asked the people to do as much good as they can.
Please feed the pigeons and dogs. They cannot give you the virus but they will die if they are not fed. Do as much good as you can. It all adds up to a new world of compassion.
— Maneka Sanjay Gandhi (@Manekagandhibjp) March 23, 2020
The Animal Welfare Board of India has also issued an advisory to all chief secretaries of states and Union Territories in India. The advisory asked the state to allocate a time when designated workers and volunteers would provide food and water to strays and deemed it an ‘essential service’.
Advisory from the Animal Welfare Board of India. pic.twitter.com/N7oYNWqVc9
— Maneka Sanjay Gandhi (@Manekagandhibjp) March 23, 2020
The board also advised states and Union Territories to hold awareness campaigns. The board also advised law enforcement to ensure that animals do not suffer due to hunger during COVID-19 lockdown. Worldwide, more than 380,000 people have been infected and more than 16,000 have died. Over 102,000 have recovered, most of them in China.
11:56 IST, March 24th 2020