There is an increased demand for “lockdown pets”. These are companion animals designed to keep people company during these frequent lockdowns due to the coronavirus pandemic. There’s been a surge in demand for puppies and fancy-looking toy dogs such as small bulldogs which has fuelled …
Zoo gorillas should be given the Covid-19 vaccination because scientists have discovered that captive gorillas at a zoo in California have contracted the disease from, they believe, an asymptomatic member of staff. It is the first known instance of the virus spreading to great apes. …
NEWS AND COMMENT: Phoenix Rehoming are a dog rescue organisation with a presence online including on social media. They are based in Fareham, Hampshire, UK. On occasions they import what I believe to be rescue dogs from Romania. In their adoption contract they insist that …
There is a fear in some quarters that Covid-19 will mutate in an animal reservoir where it will then be transmitted to people who will have no defence against it despite being inoculated with one of the current vaccines. There is this general fear that …
Edinburgh Zoo may have to return their giant pandas to China due to financial limitations brought about by the coronavirus pandemic. Currently Edinburgh Zoo is leasing, under a 10 year deal with the Chinese government, a pair of giant pandas which costs about £1 million …
As predicted by the dog rescue organisations in the UK, including the RSPCA and the Dogs Trust, people who adopted pupies for the first time during the initial lockdown in the spring of 2019 (and later) are now, in quite large numbers, giving up their …
ANALYSIS AND COMMENT: this is a story from the North of England which highlights the service that companion animals such as cats and dogs provide to people. It is useful to remind ourselves of it. There’s an excellent charity in the north of England called …
UNITED KINGDOM-NEWS AND COMMENT: A survey of 200 dog buyers carried out by the charity Dogs Trust informs us that, currently, almost one third of purchasers of companion dogs are not interested if the dog that they want to adopt has been illegally imported. They …
NEWS AND COMMENT: Battersea Dogs & Cats Home predict that there will be an increase in the abandonment of unwanted dogs by 27% over the next five years based on data from previous recessions. They found that 31% of 2,000 dog and cat owners had …
