Durban - The National Council of SPCAs have clarified that there is no evidence that shows that Covid-19 can be transmitted from pets 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's Meg Wilson said.
She cautioned the public not to rely on news spread by entities that are not directly involved in the study of Covid-19.
"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, there is no evidence that a dog, cat or any pet can transmit Covid-19. Coronavirus is mainly spread through droplets produced when an infected person coughs, sneezes, or speaks," Wilson said.
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," Wilson said.
According to the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention, Some coronaviruses that infect animals have become able to infect humans and then spread between people, but this is rare.