Bhubaneswar: Seeing that pet owners are deserting their pets in the wake of coronavirus, an awareness campaign has been launched to prevent such incidents from happening. The Odisha government has issued a notification in which it has stated that the virus can be transmitted only by human beings and not by animals or birds.
Commissioner-cum-Secretary, Fisheries and Animal Resources Development Department, R Raghu Prasad has written letters to all district veterinary officers explaining how coronavirus is admitted and has asked them to pass on the information to pet owners.
In the letter Prasad has also said that so far there has been no proof that domestic pets can transmit COVID-19 strain to human beings. He has also mentioned that the World Health Organisation (WHO) has categorically stated that animals cannot spread the virus. Hence owners should not desert their pets but look after them in a hygienic manner. District veterinary officers also have been asked to prevent cruelty against the pets as they are not a threat to human lives.
PNN