Greater Noida man asks residents to abandon pets citing Covid-19, backtracks after police intervention

On being alerted about the fake message doing the rounds of social media, the animal welfare organisation People for Animals (PFA) reported the incident to the police.

While a number of dogs had been reportedly abandoned by their owners in the wake of Covid-19 outbreak, a Greater Noida resident on Tuesday was questioned by the animal welfare NGOs and the police for spreading the fake news that coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2) infection spreads through pets.

According to the animal welfare organisations, at least 60 dogs of pedigree have been abandoned over past two weeks in Gautam Budh Nagar alone. (Biplov Bhuyan/ HT file photo. Representative image)

On being alerted about the fake message doing the rounds of social media, the animal welfare organisation People for Animals (PFA) reported the incident to the police. BL Verma, a resident of Greater Noida West, later apologised for spreading the rumour and withdrew his statements.

Verma, an advocate, said he sent the message on his housing society’s WhatsApp group after watching a news programme in Hindi on Monday night, which claimed that cats and other zoo animals were infected with the virus and were spreading the disease. Health experts have categorically denied any such spread.

Verma’s message had read, “It is advisable to pet owners to abstain from their pets or leave them out to prevent further damage from Corona to society and other people. Please take serious note of it.

“I had no wrong intentions and it was only after I saw the programme on television last night that I sent this message.I apologise for spreading a message which later classified as fake,” Verma said.

The district veterinary officer said the coronavirus does not spread through animals.

“In situations like these, people often spread such news or WhatsApp forwards in panic. Let me assure the public that we have no such updates on the pandemic spread,” said VK Srivastava, chief veterinary officer, Gautam Budh Nagar.

According to police, the PFA had approached them on Twitter.

“The issue has been resolved, the violator has sent a new message correcting the older one and given a written apology to the police, the NGO and the social groups he had sent the text to,” a police officer from Bisrakh police station, who did not wanted to be named, said.

According to the animal welfare organisations, at least 60 dogs of pedigree have been abandoned over past two weeks in Gautam Budh Nagar alone.

“We have 60 dogs being abandoned by owners across the district. We have German Shepherds, pit bulls and labradors, to count a few. In such a situation, unverified messages must be discouraged as they create panic among people,” Kaveri Rana, president, People for Animals, Gautam Budh Nagar, said.