It has come to the attention of the National Council of SPCAs (NSPCA) that certain entities are spreading misinformation regarding animals and the COVID-19 virus. The NSPCA would like to assure the public that there is no evidence that COVID-19 can be transmitted from domestic animals to humans.
It is unclear whether or not this virus is transmittable from wild animals to humans, and therefore we continue to strongly discourage interactions with wild animals – not only for ethical reasons, but now for health reasons too.
The NSPCA cautions the public to not rely on the news spread by entities that are not directly involved in the study of the COVID-19 virus. It has come to light that misinformation relating to the COVID-19 virus is being circulated implying that domestic animals are the source of transmission – this is simply not true.
According to the World Health Organisation (WHO) there is no evidence that a dog, cat or any pet can transmit COVID-19. COVID-19 is mainly spread through droplets produced when an infected person coughs, sneezes, or speaks.
We implore the public to research information thoroughly from reliable sources such as WHO (https://www.who.int/) – this website is kept current and is factual.
The NSPCA would also like to remind the public that if you cannot afford to take care of your pet, to rather surrender it to your local SPCA as opposed to abandoning, dumping, or discarding it. We also remind the public that while they are taking care of themselves, to remember their animals (domestic, farm, captive wild animals) at this time too, to ensure that there is adequate provision of the necessary resources for survival.
We stand with South Africa through these uncertain and frightening times, let us all combat this virus together by following the advice and direction of the professionals, and our country’s leadership.
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