Archives: Press

New York, NY (April 29, 2020) – As we continue to learn more about the impact of COVID-19 on animals and humans, we want to share an update on animals known to have tested positive for COVID-19 in the United States. At this time, we know that the first case of an animal testing positive for the virus in the U.S. was Nadia, a tiger at the Bronx zoo in New York City, who came into contact with an asymptomatic zookeeper; several other big cats at the Bronx Zoo are also presumed to have the virus based on their symptoms. We are also aware of two domestic cats that tested positive for the virus, one of them after close contact with people with COVID-19. 

We are saddened to learn that these animals are sick, but we are heartened by the news that experts expect them to make a full recovery. We understand that this may cause concern over whether companion animals, particularly domesticated house cats and dogs, can transmit the virus to humans. We want to emphasize that these cases have not changed advice from experts. The American Veterinary Medicine Association, U.S. Centers for Disease Control (CDC), and World Health Organization agree that there is no evidence that a dog, cat, or any pets play a significant role in spreading the virus that causes COVID-19.

We at SPCA International urge pet owners not to abandon their animals. Always maintain basic hygiene when handling and caring for your pets. Wash your hands before and after interacting with your pet, avoid kissing or sharing your food with your animals, and observe social distancing for yourself and for your pets on walks or in shared spaces. The CDC recommends keeping your cats indoors. If you are currently sick with COVID-19, restrict contact with your pets and other animals as you would around other people. SPCAI is closely monitoring the situation and will provide updates as they become available.

Donation will provide over 5,000 pounds of pet food for animals in need

Seattle, WA, April 28, 2020— As the COVID-19 pandemic continues, animal shelters around the world are struggling to supply the volume of pet food they need to feed the animals in their care during this extended crisis – facing shortages, shipping delays, and high numbers of abandoned pets. Wishbone Pet Food, one of the largest New Zealand-based pet food manufacturers, today announced that it will donate 7,800 meals for dogs, and 6,500 meals for cats to SPCA International. An international animal welfare organization, SPCA International will arrange for the shipment and delivery of the pet food to shelters in need in the U.S. and Canada. Wishbone Foods’ donation – totaling more than 5,000 pounds of pet food and with a value of over $20,000 – marks the largest pet food donation SPCA International has received in its history.

SPCA International will be distributing Wishbone’s donation of 14,300 meals to dogs and cats in need in Michigan, New York, Quebec and Nova Scotia. Recipient organizations listed below are all experiencing financial strain from the coronavirus economic shutdown and a decrease in volunteerism due to social distancing requirements. The food donations will allow the shelters to save the cash they have on hand for emergency veterinary care and to purchase other critical supplies.

Detroit Animal Welfare Group (DAWG) has over 150 animals in its care. In addition to this sizeable donation of pet food, they will receive a grant from SPCA International to support the needs of its animals during the coronavirus crisis.

Putnam County SPCA is responsible for enforcing animal cruelty laws, housing animals seized from unfit living conditions and community education in Putnam County, NY. This donation will help local residents who are struggling to feed their pets during the coronavirus outbreak.

SPCA Ouest serves the animals west of Montreal, Quebec. They pride themselves on being a no-kill shelter that accepts all surrenders and rescues in need.

Healing Animal SCARS is a foster-based cat rescue in Dartmouth, Nova Scotia dedicated to saving stray cats and matching them with the best forever homes. They will use the cat food donation to feed stray cat colonies in their area. 

Quotes:

Warren Rickard, President, USA, of Wishbone, said, “Wishbone is dedicated to providing dogs and cats around the world with highly nutritious food from New Zealand. With so many animals in need during these uncertain times, we are honored to partner with SPCA International to ensure homeless dogs and cats are not overlooked. Because pets are family!”

Meredith Ayan, Executive Director of SPCA International, said, “We are so thrilled to receive this extraordinarily generous donation from Wishbone Pet Food. These meals for dogs and cats will provide vital relief for organizations in desperate need of it in the U.S. and Canada. The COVID-19 pandemic has severely impacted animal shelters around the world, and we thank Wishbone for allowing us to help so many homeless pets at this time.”

Kelley LaBonty, Executive Director of Detroit Animal Welfare Group, said, “We’re very excited to have help in this intense time and are so grateful to Wishbone Food and SPCA International for making this possible. As we struggle to pay our employees as local businesses shut down, we have desperately needed food and supplies to keep ensure our animals stay safe and well during this pandemic. This donation is a huge help.”

Remi Brazeau, Executive Director of SPCA Ouest, said, “With the 24 dogs and 55 cats we still have in the shelter and the heavy veterinarian restrictions the government imposed on us, we are stuck between a rock and a hard place. We need to keep caring for these animals, have no vetting available, and donations and revenue have now reached a new low. This food donation will most definitely help. Thank you!”

With many cities having issued shelter-In-place orders, including Seattle, where Wishbone’s U.S. Headquarters are based, Wishbone is determined to keep pets around the country safe and healthy. SPCA International is part of a growing list of nonprofit organizations Wishbone supports, including Marley’s Mutts, Labelle Foundation and numerous other pet rescue and foster groups.

SPCA International is funding emergency grants for numerous animal shelters around the world affected during the COVID-19 pandemic. For more information, visit https://www.spcai.org/news/press/covid-19-animals-in-urgent-need-in-heavily-affected-areas

###

About Wishbone Pet Food:

WISHBONE PET FOOD is one of the largest New Zealand based manufacturers of pet food that believes pets are family. That’s why Wishbone produces only all-natural artisanal pet food enriched with the power of 8 superfoods: blueberry, cranberry, papaya, mango, basil, rosemary, peppermint, and flaxseed. Our pet food is made fresh in New Zealand in our own factory, with ingredients ethically and sustainably sourced from local farms in our community. The manufacturing plant can be found along New Zealand’s Western Bay of Plenty.

For more information about WISHBONE PET FOODS, visit https://wishbonepet.com or contact:

About SPCA International:

SPCA International is a global animal welfare organization with a mission that is simple, but vast: to advance the safety and well-being of animals. Through outreach, rescue and education programs SPCA International spearheads lifesaving initiatives and assists grassroots animal activists worldwide. For more information, visit https://www.spcai.org/about-spcai/

###

New York, NY (April 7, 2020) – We are saddened to learn that Nadia, a 4-year-old female Malayan tiger at the Bronx Zoo, has tested positive for COVID-19. Officials believe she became sick after coming in contact with an asymptomatic zookeeper.

We understand that this may cause concern over whether companion animals, particularly domesticated house cats and dogs, can transmit the virus to humans. We want to emphasize that this case has not changed advice from experts. The American Veterinary Medical Association, U.S. Center for Disease Control and World Health Organization agree that there is no evidence that a dog, cat, or any pet can transmit COVID-19 to humans.

We at SPCA International urge pet owners not to abandon their animals. Always maintain basic hygiene when handling and caring for your pets. Wash your hands before and after interacting with your pet, and avoid kissing or sharing your food with your animals.

SPCAI is closely monitoring the situation and will provide updates as they become available.

March 2019 – Animal shelters around the world are facing dire impacts due to the devastating fallout of the COVID-19 pandemic. SPCA International’s shelter partners across the globe are reporting food shortages, high numbers of abandoned pets, and near-zero adoption rates in heavily affected countries including China, Italy, and South Korea as borders close. While there is currently no evidence that pets can spread the novel coronavirus (COVID-19), according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the World Health Organization, companion animals around the world remain at risk of abandonment and culling, due to fears and overcrowded shelters.

Specific animal needs in heavily affected countries include:

• Feed: In China, animal shelters are making their own dog food, with supermarkets having long since run out of bagged kibble.
• Abandoned animals: Shelters in Italy are overflowing as animals are abandoned daily due to unfounded fears. 
• Shelters over capacity: Shelters in South Korea have stopped international animal adoptions and no longer have international volunteers to help with their work. 

Shelters across the globe have contacted SPCA International for help to respond to each of these emergency situations while facing an uncertain future themselves, and SPCA International is in regular contact as they report on their needs. Thanks to generous supporters, the organization has mobilized $100,000 for grants specifically for the COVID-19 crisis response and will continue to support shelters in need with further grants in the coming weeks.

“As this situation unfolds, we’re continuing to monitor animal welfare across the globe and step in where we can help,” said Meredith Ayan, Executive Director of SPCA International. “Uncertainty, store closures, delayed shipments, and misinformation can have tragic implications for animals, making the work of these shelters on the ground even more urgent. Now more than ever, they need our support.”

SPCA International’s specific grant recipients around the world will include:

• SPCA Italia (Ardea, Italy) – This rescue organization has a special permit from the Italian police to rescue the many dogs and cats that are being abandoned on the streets amid the COVID-19 lockdown. Funds will help them continue rescuing and caring for animals.
• Plush Bears Shelter (Baicheng, China) – This shelter makes their own dog kibble, so funds will help them buy the ingredients they need to feed the dogs in their care.
• K9 Global Rescue (Jeonju, South Korea) – This organization rescues dogs from the dog meat trade and finds them adoptive homes in the U.S. They can’t transport the dogs right now, so funds will help shelter, feed and provide veterinary care until the dogs can travel to their new homes.
• Animal House Jamaica (Lydford, Jamaica) – This shelter relies on food donations from the surrounding hotels to feed the 200 dogs in their care. With hotel operations halted, they now have to buy kibble. Funds will support the cost of buying food to last for two months.
• Rifugio Jill Phipps (Asti, Italy) – This refuge organization shelters animals that have been saved from slaughter, including farm animals. They are having difficulty accessing food during the COVID-19 crisis, so funds will help them act quickly to buy food when it is available.
• Unidad Proteccion Animal in the Dominican Republic (Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic) – This organization is facing food shortages and store closures. Funds will help them purchase enough food to last until normal supply chains are functioning again.
• Vucjak Shelter (Kragujevac, Serbia) – This shelter is faced with a food shortage as EU borders close. Funds will help them buy enough food to survive this crisis.

While adoptions and fostering of pets in the U.S. remains high, animals in countries with high stray populations and where keeping companion animals is less customary remain at a high risk of abandonment and food shortages.

To learn more about how animals around the world have been affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, and how SPCA International and its partner shelters are responding to this emergency, contact us for an interview.

Readers can donate to support SPCA International’s grants to help animal rescue groups impacted by COVID-19 lockdowns and food shortages.

New York, NY (February 27, 2020) – “China’s temporary ban on the trade and consumption of wild animals is a crucial step for safeguarding the well-being of wildlife and people. We encourage the Chinese government to make this ban permanent, with strict enforcement and penalties for illegal trading. The black-market wildlife trade spurs the uncontrolled spread of zoonotic diseases, and causes immense suffering for millions of animals, preventing them from behaving naturally.  

We also applaud the city of Shenzhen’s proposed ban on the consumption of dog, snake, turtle and frog meat. If passed, this ban would send a much-needed message across the country that the cruel rearing of these animals for food is unacceptable. We urge the city of Shenzhen to pass this ban and hope it will soon be considered nationwide,” said Meredith Ayan, SPCA International, Executive Director.

About SPCA International

SPCA International (https://www.spcai.org/about-spcai/) is a global animal welfare organization with a mission that is simple, but vast: to advance the safety and well-being of animals. Through outreach, rescue and education programs SPCA International spearheads lifesaving initiatives and assists grassroots animal activists worldwide.

###