ANIMAL CARE ORGANISATION STARTS FEEDING HUMANS AS COVID-19 EATS INTO INCOMES
Source: iol.co.za (Extract)
Posted: July 3, 2020
Durban – A Durban-based animal welfare organisation has highlighted on Friday that in addition to feeding animals, it has also begun distributing food hampers to a number of the pet owners themselves, who are feeling the harsh effects of the coronavirus pandemic on South Africa’s economy.
In an interview with African News Agency (ANA), Neeri Naidoo, founder of Phoenix Animal Care and Treatment, said the coronavirus pandemic has caused a severe problem for pet owners and in some instances has robbed them of their income.
“We’re even doing hampers for humans now, to help them because when we go out to feed the dogs we see the families starving as well. So it has been kind of hectic,” explained Naidoo.
“We try not to do cases where animals are owned by people, we just do stray animals, but we’ve had to help in the instances where the animals have gotten sick or injured because people don’t have any funds,” she added.
According to Naidoo, the organisation has been inundated with an influx of stray and abandoned pets ever since the start of the Covid-19 lockdown in March.
“We were feeding about 80-plus animals just before lockdown started and we are now feeding around 196 animals. That’s how many animals we have to ensure have food on a daily basis,” said Naidoo.
“Also people who want to donate, from the very little that they have now, they are prioritising human organisations because people are in dire need, so most of the animal organisations have taken a back seat.”