BBC - An-Najah News - Agencies - Some of the pet owners are abandoning their pets after learning about the possibility of pets infecting humans with the coronavirus.

 The World Health Organization has advised people who have pets to be more careful concerning.

 In India within days of the COVID-19 outbreak, hundreds of pets in Mumbai became strays. People started abandoning their loved dogs and cats on the streets when nobody was watching. They did that after the World Health Organisation put out on its Indian website warnings like: Keep Away From Pets and Keep Away From Wild and Farm Animals. Promptly, around 17 civic bodies in Mumbai started making announcements and putting up hoarding and pamphlets, with images of dogs, cats, chicken and bats. There were around 167 hoardings at railway stations, buses, vans, taxis and government offices across Mumbai.

Anand Siva, animal activist, environmentalist and former co-opted member to the Animal Welfare Board of Inida says: “This was ridiculous, wrong and very irresponsible of WHO especially since just a few days prior to this they had categorically put out a message that there was no reason to believe pets could be carriers. I spent a few hours frantically calling their Delhi numbers, sending emails to their global media relations and communications team. Alongside, I reached out to vets across the country and unanimously they all confirmed there was absolutely no truth in that. Sadly, WHO failed to respond or act, and didn’t pull down the message.”