COVID-19 AND THE EFFECTS ON ANIMALS

INFORMATION

Maybe you’re thinking: why should you help us? Animals, sentient, feeling organisms are dying, and you can help us save them. Look inside yourself. Do you want innocent animals to die when you could stop it? This entire pandemic is a result of our cruel treatment of animals- regardless of where they are. Animals are being killed without a second thought- when we could have saved them. Animals are coughing up blood and mucus, barely getting enough oxygen, struggling helplessly against inescapable death. Unless you stop and put an end to this. Please help us. Do it for the animals. Do it for your children and grandchildren so that they don’t have to go through what we are going through. They didn’t do anything to harm you and they probably never would. Let’s try not to repeat this problem, for your grandchildren, for everyone you know so that they don’t have to live through what we are going through right now.

Have you heard of the horrors of factory farming?  Let's say you’re eating a cheeseburger. To most people, that burger tastes really good, but think about it. Where did that burger really come from? The cow in your burger probably came from a factory farm. And the cow probably was born for the sole reason to be in your burger. He was born in a stall in which his mother could barely move around. At the age of only 3 weeks, he was taken from his mother, the only family he knows-and will ever know. He was taken to a cage in which he can barely move, fed food that is not sterilized and extremely unhealthy. All of this is to fatten him up, so that he can be killed. At the age of 1, his tail is cut off, without using any anesthetic. When he is 4, he is taken to a conveyor belt, packed with lots of cows. He is shot in the head with a gun in an attempt to stun him, although the line moves so fast and the people are so poorly trained that he is not stunned. His throat is then cut. However, he is conscious for many more minutes, unable to scream as he feels the life drain out of him. This doesn’t just happen to him, it happens to millions of cows and other animals worldwide every day of every month of every year. You’re probably wondering why this is happening to him and all the other cows. Surely whoever is doing this has a good reason, you assume. Let me tell you what exactly that “good” reason is. Money. That's right, money. All this slaughter, all this pain, is just for a profit. All of this is happening because of greed. Nobody needs that much money, people just want it. That is what could have partially caused COVID-19. And that is what we’re trying to stop. Trying to end.

Another example of the cruelty that people are showing towards animals is putting them in pet shelters even though they don’t need to be in them. People are taking their animals to these pet shelters to kill them simply because these owners are worried about COVID-19 infecting their pets and getting transmitted to them- or they’re just worried that the pet may be too hard to keep during these times-even though it is very unlikely for a pet to get COVID-19, much less transmit it to someone else.

Pet shelters are becoming quickly overcrowded. If one dog has COVID-19, then that dog could possibly transmit it to another dog, and that dog could transmit COVID-19 to another dog, e.t.c. COVID-19 doesn’t just affect humans, it affects animals too. Dogs, cats, tigers, and many other species of animals could die if they get COVID-19 in these overcrowded places. If you adopt a pet- you are potentially saving that pet’s life or at least lessening the risk of that pet getting COVID-19.

Not only does adopting a pet have an effect on that pet, but it also has an effect on humans, too. While pet shelters are getting overcrowded, some pet shelters are having to lay off their employees- because the pet shelters don’t have enough money to keep the pets and pay the employees as well. By adopting a pet, you can impact human(s)- and make a positive change- in at least 3 lives.

Pets can also help people in these times. If you’re stuck alone during this time and are very lonely, why not adopt a dog or a cat while you’re at it? Dogs and cats can keep humans company, reduce human stress, anxiety, depression- which we all have right now. A dog or a cat could be the perfect addition to your family- even if it’s just temporary.

Who can forget about zoos? Our lovable friends over there need help as well. Zoos are struggling to feed their animals because there are no more visitors. Animals in zoos are getting used to not having humans around- and that’s a bad thing if zoos reopen. On top of all that, animals get sick.

Zoos are a public attraction. They rely on money to help keep their doors open and animals fed. Where does the money come from? Visitors. Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, many zoos across the world have had to close their doors and brace for the impact. On average, about 175 million people visit zoos and aquariums every year. If the admission fee for the zoo or aquarium was just $5, that means that zoos and aquariums would make $8750000 a year. Now that zoos and aquariums have closed, a bunch of that money goes down the drain. If you consider how much an animal costs to feed annually- about 1 thousand dollars, then that’s a big task to be maintained when not as many visitors are coming in. Some ways you can help are donating to zoos in need, or if you have any fallen trees/branches around your house, there are a few zoos that could use some of that.

Not only are zoos being hit financially, but they’re also facing some trouble keeping their animals socially interactive. Since COVID-19 has stopped many visitors from coming to the zoo, animals are getting used to being alone- and it could stay that way. Imagine going to the zoo and seeing nothing- the giraffes and lions and all of the other creatures are hiding from sight. Even the more social human-like animals such as monkeys are becoming more secluded. Without proper attention to the animals- zoos might not be on the list of attractions for tourists.

Many people wonder what will happen to the animals if they get sick. COVID-19 is jumping around from human to human, and now it’s making its way back to animals. Animals have to be quarantined from each other- and allowed very few visitors. This situation just helps animals to forget about humans- the ones who will be flocking back to the zoos after this ends. 

• A battery chicken lives on a space smaller than your iPad

• 99% of farmed animals are factory farmed

• 260 million acres of forests are cut down in order for animals in factory farms to have food

• Over 80% of pigs that are factory farmed have pneumonia when they are killed

• 35,000 miles of river in the U.S. were polluted by animals living in factory farms (the animals waste polluted them)

• 66% of farm animals in the world were raised on factory farms

• Chickens have their beaks cut off without any anesthetic