Flown to UK: cats and dogs abandoned in Cyprus because of coronavirus

by Michael Broad · April 13, 2020

Abandoned cats and dogs flown in from Cyprus for new homes in the UK. Photo: British Airways.

Companion cats and dogs have been abandoned on the island of Cyprus over fears that they may spread Covid-19.

A British Airways 747 cargo aircraft has flown 14 cats and 36 dogs from Cyprus to the UK after the companion animals had been abandoned over fears that they might spread the coronavirus to their owners. Other supplies were also carried.

Captain Paul Walker-Northwood said:

At British Airways, animal welfare is important to us and we know how important it is to our customers.
We are sure their arrival will bring real much-needed pleasure to their new families during a challenging period.

We are not told but this must be the work of a number of animal charities working as a team. They are very impressive.

Comment: This is the first example that I have read about of Europeans abandoning companion animals over fears of getting Covid-19 from them. Reportedly it happened a lot in China. It seems to me that the very cautious and fearful amongst us have taken on board the stories such as the Bronx tigers getting the disease from zookeepers and taken drastic action.

The animals were abandoned on the street or at pounds. The report does not tell us what section of Cypriot society is doing this. There are lots of expat Brits living in Cyprus. I’d like to hear from Harvey, a colleague of mine who lives in Cyprus. He might be able to shed some light on it. He may well comment.

There is no need to abandon pets at this time. It is cruel and wrong. I understand the fears but people must resist the temptation. Only a small section of society would consider it and they are possibly not the best companion animal guardians. I am sure that abandonment under these weird circumstances does not occur to the vast majority of companion animal owners.

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