Here at SPCA International our crew of animal lovers always appreciates a feel-good animal video. Check out this video for a quick break from the stress of the day. We hope you like it as much as we do. We hope it warms your heart and lifts your spirits. Enjoy!
Author: Emma Kronish
Pets and COVID-19: Your Questions Answered
Q: I’ve heard about dogs and cats testing positive for COVID-19, is my pet at risk?
A: The short answer is that most pets are at low risk. There are only limited cases of pets testing positive for COVID-19 and all of them have experienced mild respiratory symptoms and are expected to make a full recovery.
Q: How should I protect my pet from COVID-19?
A: Try to limit your pet’s interaction with other people and animals. For now, walks and fetch with family members is safer than the dog park and cats should be kept indoors if possible. If you are diagnosed with or suspect you have COVID-19, try to limit contact with your pets. If you must interact, wear a mask to protect them.
Q: Can an infected pet spread COVID-19 to my human family members?
A: There is currently no evidence that household pets are a source of COVID-19 infection in humans and there is no reason to believe that pets can spread the disease to humans. Taking proper social distancing precautions for your human family members and pets is the best way to protect all family members.
Q: I’m worried about the possibility of my pets spreading COVID-19 to my family, should I surrender them.
A: Please don’t surrender or abandon your pets because of COVID-19 fears. Again, there is absolutely no reason to believe that pets can spread COVID-19 to humans. Right now, pets can be an incredible source of comfort and they are best off staying with their human families.
**This content is based on information from the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and the American Veterinary Medical Association (AMVA).
Fiji Spay and Neuter Clinic
SPCA International is proud to support CLAW (Communities, Legislature & Animal Welfare). They recently held a series of successful spay and neuter clinics in Fiji.
CLAW is doing great work on Fiji’s scattered islands.
Their recent clinics were held over ten days at nine different locations! They sterilized 390 animals on the islands of Suva and Beqa.
Thanks to the generosity of SPCA International supporters, we were able to send a shipment of veterinary supplies along with a grant to help CLAW.
CLAW brought together veterinarians, recent graduates and nurses from four countries. Along with many community volunteers, they made this a truly successful event.
CLAW also uses an innovative system of “Certificates in Animal Welfare”. These certificates give communities tangible goals to work toward. Two communities earned their “Bronze Certificates in Animal Welfare” during this campaign.
The beautiful islands of Fiji are home to glitzy resorts, but many locals live in poverty. Without help, they wouldn’t be able to afford to sterilize their animals.
During the past year, CLAW has sterilized over 1,200 animals. They are doing truly incredible work. Sterilizations save thousands of animals from being born into situations where they can’t be cared for. CLAW is looking forward to adding a vaccine component to future clinics to further improve the lives of animals.
Video Escape
We put this cute video together just to make you smile! We hope you can take just one minute to enjoy this short video full of fluffy dogs and cats doing their thing. Wherever you are, we hope it will brighten your day.
Lockdown Silver Linings
During the current crisis, it is easy to focus on the negative, but here are just a few silver linings to think about when you need a pick-me-up.
People are spending more time with their nuclear families. Most of us have dusted off old games or started new activities and rituals together. Many of us are also reconnecting with friends and family over video chats and sharing kindness however we can with our fellow humans.
Animals are benefitting in a number of ways. Many shelters in North America are reporting high adoption and foster rates, China is banning the consumption of dogs and cats, and the Tiger King phenomenon has shed light on the plight of big cats in the U.S.
The environment is also getting a boost from less pollution. Less travel in planes and cars means fewer fossil fuels are being burned, and reduced manufacturing is producing less pollution as well.
Despite these positives, we know many people are battling in one way or another against COVID-19, so we extend our gratitude to all essential workers, especially those who work in healthcare and the grocery supply chain. We also extend our thoughts and hearts to those who are themselves or have a loved one who is sick, grieving or otherwise at risk.
Wildlife Rescue Vehicles in Australia
Here at SPCA International, we are committed to helping animal welfare organizations around the world when they are faced with unforeseen disasters. The bushfires in Australia have devastated wildlife habitats and left animal welfare organizations scrambling for resources.
So, we are proud to share that SPCA International recently provided a $60,000 grant to the RSPCA in South Australia so they could purchase two rescue vehicles. The RSPCA works on behalf of all animals, but right now they are caring for more koalas than ever before.
Staff and volunteers are working daily to rescue koalas from smoldering forests and rush them to veterinary care. Many koalas have burns on their hands and feet from climbing scorched trees in search of food. Even those that have escaped burns are hungry and thirsty because their food source has been wiped out.
These koalas will be given the best care possible. As their bodies heal, most will be released into reserves and forests that were spared by the flames. The forests they used to call home will take a decade to recover.
The support we were able to provide to the RSPCA and other organizations in Australia was made possible by many generous donors in North America who gave donations of $20, $50 and $100 dollars. Together these donations will ease the suffering of hundreds if not thousands of animals affected by the Australia bushfires.
Earth Day: Good for the Environment, Good for Animals
By Meredith Ayan, Executive Director
Here at SPCA International, we’re celebrating Earth Day this April 22nd, and we hope you are too. Granted, we aren’t throwing a big bash, but we’re taking a few minutes to recognize the importance of caring for the environment.
Keeping our planet healthy and sustainable is intrinsically linked to animal welfare. Conserving forests and grasslands keeps natural habitats intact. Removing plastics from oceans and rivers provides cleaner water for animals at all levels of the food chain. Reducing emissions keeps the air pure for all of us.
We remember that each day, every single person can take small steps to mitigate climate change and care for Planet Earth. Here are a few simple ideas to give the environment a symbolic hug:
- Use reusable grocery bags and keep plastic bags out of landfills and waterways
- Walk, bike or carpool to drive less and reduce air pollution
- Recycle paper, metal, batteries and everything else that you can
- Buy sustainable foods and products, more companies are sharing this information
- Eat less meat to reduce the byproducts of meat processing
- Use a reusable water bottle and coffee mug to reduce single use cups and bottles
- Turn out the lights when you don’t need them to save energy
- Turn off the water when you don’t need it, like when you’re brushing your teeth
- Print less paper at home and work to save more trees
With all of us taking a few simple steps like these, we can make a huge collective impact on our planet.
New York Legislation to Ban Puppy Mill Sales
By Meredith Ayan, Executive Director
Animal shelters across the nation house thousands of dogs and cats in need of loving homes. That’s why I am heartened by the newly proposed New York State Senate Bill that would ban pet stores from selling dogs, cats and rabbits. Instead, pet stores would be encouraged to offer spaces to local shelters to showcase available rescue animals.
This is an exciting opportunity for the state of New York and other states that may enact similar legislation. Just imagine, instead of walking by a pet store window and seeing puppies and kittens for sale, we’ll see dogs and cats available for adoption. Coupled with strong federal regulations to combat puppy and kitty mills, legislation like this could change the way Americans acquire pets.
Assemblywoman Linda Rosenthal, D-Manhattan sponsored the bill and says, “by ensuring that pet stores can offer only rescues for adoption, this legislation will protect consumers, help to shut down the mills and end the puppy to-pet store pipeline,”
New York would join Maryland, California and hundreds of U.S. cities with similar legislation already in place. You can read the bill and follow it here: https://www.nysenate.gov/legislation/bills/2019/s4234
Military Rescues Affected by COVID-19
Operation Baghdad Pups: Worldwide has been rescuing dogs and cats befriended by U.S. military members serving overseas since 2008. We have navigated some incredibly difficult situations in unstable regions.
We’ve had to find alternate routes out of countries at war and move animals through dangerous checkpoints. However, we’ve never before been confronted with something like the current COVID-19 crisis.
As borders close and international flights are canceled, our team is bringing dogs and cats to the U.S. as quickly as possible. Unfortunately, we know some will be stuck for weeks or months while we wait for travel to resume.
These animals are caught in limbo. As they waited for routine travel clearances, the situation changed drastically. Now, we don’t know when they’ll be able to travel.
Currently, 19 cats and 11 dogs are on our waiting list to travel to the U.S. Caring for them during this crisis is already proving challenging.
Nearly every location where we are caring for dogs and cats is experiencing difficulties. Here are just a few examples:
- In Iraq, our staff had to secure a special permit for a veterinarian to travel across the city to provide vaccines to the dogs in our care.
- In Poland, a carefully orchestrated rescue flight was canceled just two days before it was set to depart.
- In Jordan, two cats are stuck in a boarding facility where a staff member is now living on site to care for them during the shutdown.
- In The Philippines, several dogs and cats have been stuck since early February.
We’ll continue to provide these animals love and care while their soldiers anxiously wait for travel to resume.
Here are a few of the sweethearts whose travel plans have been put on standby:
Artie, located in Iraq Milo, located in Kuwait Hank, located in The Philippines Ruby, located in Poland Precious, located in Iraq
If you would like to help us continue to provide vital support to shelters and animals around the world in this most challenging time:
COVID-19: What We Know
By Meredith Ayan, Executive Director
I hope you are staying safe and healthy while we navigate the unprecedented COVID-19 crisis. Here at SPCA International, we are in constant communication with officials, shelter partners and rescue organizations. They are keeping us abreast of the latest developments in Asia, Europe, Latin America and here in North America.
People all over the world are stepping up to make sure animals stay safe during this crisis. In many countries, people are restricted from moving between their homes and workplaces, so shelter staff and volunteers are living at shelters to care for animals. However, animals continue to be at risk, mostly because of food shortages.
Over the past few weeks, many shelters have contacted us for help. They are scattered across the globe, but their stories are eerily similar. Stores are closing, food shipments are delayed, people don’t know if they’ll be allowed to go out to buy more food when they need it. Everyone is hustling to make sure they can feed the animals in their care during this crisis.
Unfortunately, animals not in the care of animal welfare groups are at extremely high risk. We have reports from our partners that dogs in China are being killed indiscriminately and pets are being abandoned on the streets of Italy due to unfounded fears. Pets are being left behind when their owners pass away unexpectedly. Animal welfare groups are doing their best to respond to each of these emergency situations and save as many animals as possible while facing an uncertain future themselves.
As this situation unfolds, we’re continuing to monitor animal welfare across the globe and step in where we can help. Thanks to the generosity of our supporters, we have been able to earmark $100,000 for animal welfare groups affected by the COVID-19 crisis.
We know the global COVID-19 crisis is far from over, and there are many unknowns, so we remain committed to helping animal welfare groups meet new and unique challenges as they arise.
Please, stay safe and healthy during this difficult time.
If you would like to help us continue to provide vital support to shelters and animals around the world in this most challenging time :