Wuhan, the epicentre of the new coronavirus outbreak, has been in lockdown since Jan. 23.

Besides Wuhan, several other cities were also under travel restrictions, resulting in many Wuhan residents unable to return home.

Unfortunately, this meant that some individuals' pets were left alone at home with their food and water running out as days passed.

In response to that, one animal welfare group in Wuhan, known as the Wuhan Small Animal Protection Association, has come forward to care for these pets, who might otherwise have starved to death.

Rescue missions to save pets left alone at home

On Jan. 26, the organisation put up a notice encouraging those who have pets left alone at home in Wuhan to contact them.

These pet owners were asked to register themselves with the organisation and pay a fee if a locksmith is needed to unlock their door.

Volunteers would then enter the house and check on the pets on behalf of these owners, with the process recorded for the owners' reference. The group also said it would replenish the pets' food for free if it might have been running out.

Within minutes, the service the group offered was fully subscribed by pet owners from three areas.

The organisation said also that it will review the cases and attend to the most urgent ones first.

Mummy cat ran out of food & lost two kittens

One volunteer named Xiao Wei brought the Chinese media along for one of the rescue missions on Jan. 30 after a cat owner reached out to the organisation for help.

A video posted to Weibo showed that the cat owner was on a video call with the volunteer as he tried to enter the house.

Xiao Wei later found that two kittens unfortunately died in the house, with another supposedly still in the mother cat's womb.

Xiao Wei consulted a vet before helping the cat, replenished food and water for her and also replaced the cat litter in the house.

He had to cremate the carcasses of the two kittens as well.

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Human's responsibility to care for pets during virus outbreak

The Wuhan Small Animal Protection Association says it has so far rendered help to more than 300 owners' pets and will be visiting another 400 homes in the coming days.

The group's president, Du Fan, estimated that there is one pet in every 10 homes in Wuhan. That adds up to a total of about 30,000 to 50,000 pet dogs and cats in the city.

If the food and water of those left alone in their homes is not replenished within a week, the animals' lives will be in danger. For animals that have sadly died at home, their carcasses will also prove problematic if they are are not attended to promptly.

However, with the travel restriction imposed across China, the group is also running on limited manpower as some volunteers are unable to return to Wuhan. With the current group of volunteers, the team is able to visit 40 to 50 homes a day, with each day of rescue ending at around midnight.

Another challenge the group faces is also a lack of locksmiths able to follow them from house to house.

Besides seeking help from the volunteers, Du said some owners have also found neighbours to help look after their pets in the meantime.

He added that while protecting ourselves from the virus is important, it is also the human's responsibility to care for the animals during this period.

Top photo collage via screenshots of Miaopai video