Covid-19: Unfounded fears drive pet abandonments, eviction threats
Skip to main content
  • Home
  • Economy
  • Stocks
  • Analysis
  • World+Biz
  • Sports
  • Splash
  • Features
  • Videos
  • Long Read
  • Games
  • Epaper
  • More
    • COVID-19
    • Bangladesh
    • Infograph
    • Interviews
    • Offbeat
    • Thoughts
    • Podcast
    • Quiz
    • Tech
    • Subscribe
    • Archive
    • Trial By Trivia
    • Magazine
    • Supplement
  • বাংলা
The Business Standard
WEDNESDAY, MAY 25, 2022
WEDNESDAY, MAY 25, 2022
  • Home
  • Economy
  • Stocks
  • Analysis
  • World+Biz
  • Sports
  • Splash
  • Features
  • Videos
  • Long Read
  • Games
  • Epaper
  • More
    • COVID-19
    • Bangladesh
    • Infograph
    • Interviews
    • Offbeat
    • Thoughts
    • Podcast
    • Quiz
    • Tech
    • Subscribe
    • Archive
    • Trial By Trivia
    • Magazine
    • Supplement
  • বাংলা
Covid-19: Unfounded fears drive pet abandonments, eviction threats

Panorama

Promila Kanya
31 March, 2020, 01:05 pm
Last modified: 31 March, 2020, 08:07 pm

Related News

  • Beijing urges millions to keep working from home amid Covid outbreak menace
  • Saudi Arabia bans travel to India, 15 other countries over Covid outbreaks
  • Dynamic zero-Covid approach: China's choice to safeguard lives, underpin economic growth
  • Thousands of Covid-negative Beijing residents sent to quarantine
  • Shanghai inches towards Covid lockdown exit, Beijing plays defence

Covid-19: Unfounded fears drive pet abandonments, eviction threats

Over the last couple of weeks, many pet owners like Nafisa are facing pressure from neighbours and landlords who are asking them to discard their pets. Some landlords are reportedly threatening to evict pet owners from their homes if they refuse to give up their pets

Promila Kanya
31 March, 2020, 01:05 pm
Last modified: 31 March, 2020, 08:07 pm
Photo: Rohini Alamgir
Photo: Rohini Alamgir

Just like any other house cat, Amour lives with Nafisa's family members in their apartment. However, when the coronavirus pandemic began, some of the residents told Nafisa she should get rid of her cat.

"During a committee meeting, one of the ladies told me it was inconsiderate of me to keep a cat in the house. I tried my best to not get angry and immediately left the place," Nafisa said.

Over the last couple of weeks, many pet owners like Nafisa are facing pressure from neighbours and landlords who are asking them to discard their pets.

Some landlords are reportedly threatening to evict pet owners from their homes if they refuse to give up their pets.

Panicked many pet owners are hiding their pets or leaving their pets out on the streets.

The World Health Organisation has stated that there is no evidence of the coronavirus being transmitted from animals to humans. Health experts too have not yet declared anything about pets causing the pandemic or making it worse.

An infected owner should, however, refrain from taking care of the pet and maintain hygiene.   

Asking to remain anonymous, a writer from Dhaka shared her experience as a pet parent and a foster caregiver for animals with The Business Standard.

She said, "I used to look after and feed some of the stray animals in my area. The number has now increased as some of the residents are discarding their pets. Regardless of breed or age, some owners have left their pets out on the streets."

"I have soundproofed my apartment and hidden my cats. I have stocked up on cat food and other essentials, but I do not know how long I can continue like this."

Moreover, people are not following the guidelines for using bleaching powder and are using too much of it to clean the roads. Stray animals could get poisoned from it," she added worryingly.

Zoonotic diseases are those which spread from animals to humans, such as avian influenza (bird flu), SARS, MERS, swine flu and the nipah virus, that comes from fruit bats. Although the novel coronavirus is a zoonotic disease, there is no evidence supporting the transmission of COVID-19 from pets to humans.

Rohini Alamgir, project delivery manager at the World Food Programme Bangladesh, emphasized this lack of evidence and expressed her growing concern over the situation in Dhaka.

She added, "For coronavirus, we should be following the basic hygiene guidelines, such as frequently washing our hands, staying indoors etc. Throwing our animals out of our homes cannot possibly be an answer. This is just panic driven mania and as pet parents, we shouldn't be giving in to this. We need to fight back with facts."

Rahat Rahman is the co-owner of two cafes in the city which have play zones with cats in them. Both the places have been shut down due to coronavirus, but every day people turn up, asking the security guards whether they can leave their animals there.

Strangers keep messaging Rahat on Facebook, requesting to drop their animals off at the cafes.

"I have given up trying to make them understand that we do not run an animal shelter, and that it is simply wrong to throw your pets out of the house! I try to remain calm, but what is happening is disheartening," Rahat said.  

Obhoyaronno, an animal welfare organisation in Dhaka's Mohakhali, recently posted on its Facebook page that it is willing to look for those who are being harassed by landlords for having pets.

It said it would help these people take legal action.

It has asked the victims to respond to eviction notices where they should clearly state that immediate eviction in this time of crisis is illegal and that there is no scientific or legal basis of it on the grounds of coronavirus.  

Obhoyaronno founder Rubaiya Ahmad thinks that owners have to be strong-willed and take a stand against anyone trying to cause their pets any harm.

"If a landlord is asking you to get rid of your pets, know that there is no legal or social backing for it. So, exercise your power and do not tolerate such demands."

According to her, "If you are feeding or helping stray animals, please do it discreetly. Right now, making a fuss might attract the wrong kind of attention."

The Business Standard also reached out to the owner of Care and Cure Veterinarian Clinic Dr Shaddam Patwary.

"I have been trying to raise awareness about treating pets ever since the outbreak. I tell others that even after regularly handling ill animals, I am doing fine.

So the question of contracting the virus from healthy animals does not even arise."

The doctor also said, "The Animal Welfare Bill 2019 strictly prohibits any kind of cruelty towards animals. If a landlord tries to throw out a pet or harass the owner, he/she should be informed of this and if needed, one can call 999 and seek help."

Features

pet / corona virus / COVID-19

Comments

While most comments will be posted if they are on-topic and not abusive, moderation decisions are subjective. Published comments are readers’ own views and The Business Standard does not endorse any of the readers’ comments.

Top Stories

  • Wheat stock at 3-year low and that may not be good for rice
    Wheat stock at 3-year low and that may not be good for rice
  • Photo: Collected
    Bangladesh among top 20 prospective solar farm capacity nations
  • Bangladesh Bank to sit with ABB, BAFEDA Thursday
    Bangladesh Bank to sit with ABB, BAFEDA Thursday

MOST VIEWED

  • Psycure has received various awards for their extraordinary contributions to promoting Sustainable Development Goals. Photo: Courtesy
    Psycure: Meet the organisation serving the underserved university students (and beyond) with mental healthcare 
  • Underlying problems such as school dropouts need to be addressed first before taking a legal route to stop child labour. Photo: Reuters
    ‘Child labour in a country like Bangladesh is primarily a development issue, not so much of enforcement’
  • A Russian army service member fires a howitzer during drills at the Kuzminsky range in the southern Rostov region, Russia January 26, 2022. REUTERS/Sergey Pivovarov/File Photo
    3 months of Ukraine war : Miscalculations, resistance and redirected focus
  • Musk is denying the sexual harassment allegation that surfaced this week. Photo: Bloomberg
    Elon Musk’s crazily banal week 
  • Illustration: TBS
    ‘The move to introduce DVS has changed the entire spectrum of financial auditing’
  • At present, 80% of the umbrella market is dominated by Chinese products. Photo: Noor-A-Alam
    The canopy of change: How Chinese umbrellas drove out Bangla Chhatas 

Related News

  • Beijing urges millions to keep working from home amid Covid outbreak menace
  • Saudi Arabia bans travel to India, 15 other countries over Covid outbreaks
  • Dynamic zero-Covid approach: China's choice to safeguard lives, underpin economic growth
  • Thousands of Covid-negative Beijing residents sent to quarantine
  • Shanghai inches towards Covid lockdown exit, Beijing plays defence

Features

Psycure has received various awards for their extraordinary contributions to promoting Sustainable Development Goals. Photo: Courtesy

Psycure: Meet the organisation serving the underserved university students (and beyond) with mental healthcare 

12h | Panorama
Underlying problems such as school dropouts need to be addressed first before taking a legal route to stop child labour. Photo: Reuters

‘Child labour in a country like Bangladesh is primarily a development issue, not so much of enforcement’

13h | Panorama
The balcony railings of the Boro Sardar Bari in Sonargaon. Made of cast iron, these railings feature vertical posts with intricate designs on top. Photo: Noor-A-Alam

The evolution of railing and grille designs

1d | Habitat
A Russian army service member fires a howitzer during drills at the Kuzminsky range in the southern Rostov region, Russia January 26, 2022. REUTERS/Sergey Pivovarov/File Photo

3 months of Ukraine war : Miscalculations, resistance and redirected focus

1d | Analysis

More Videos from TBS

Where the people have more weapons than military

Where the people have more weapons than military

1h | Videos
Govt plans to amnesty in the offing to bring back laundered money to meet dollar crises

Govt plans to amnesty in the offing to bring back laundered money to meet dollar crises

3h | Videos
Poet Nazrul Islam’s 123rd birth anniversary observed

Poet Nazrul Islam’s 123rd birth anniversary observed

4h | Videos
Soaring commodity prices put pressure on budget

Soaring commodity prices put pressure on budget

8h | Videos

Most Read

1
Tk100 for bike, Tk2,400 for bus to cross Padma Bridge
Bangladesh

Tk100 for bike, Tk2,400 for bus to cross Padma Bridge

2
Bangladesh at risk of losing ownership of Banglar Samriddhi
Bangladesh

Bangladesh at risk of losing ownership of Banglar Samriddhi

3
BSEC launches probe against Abul Khayer Hero and allies
Stocks

BSEC launches probe against Abul Khayer Hero and allies

4
Photo: Courtesy
Panorama

Misfit Technologies: A Singaporean startup rooted firmly in Bangladesh

5
Illustration: TBS
Banking

Let taka slide

6
Photo: Collected
Industry

Spanish recycled cotton producer opens new facility in Bangladesh

The Business Standard
Top
  • Home
  • Entertainment
  • Sports
  • About Us
  • Bangladesh
  • International
  • Privacy Policy
  • Comment Policy
  • Contact Us
  • Economy
  • Sitemap
  • RSS

Contact Us

The Business Standard

Main Office -4/A, Eskaton Garden, Dhaka- 1000

Phone: +8801847 416158 - 59

Send Opinion articles to - oped.tbs@gmail.com

For advertisement- sales@tbsnews.net

Copyright © 2022 THE BUSINESS STANDARD All rights reserved. Technical Partner: RSI Lab