How the Pandemic impacts the life of animals in shelters

The Monaco Animal Shelter, located in Eze has grown in popularity compared to the previous year. This was due to the health crisis.

In 2019, people adopted only 15 animals from it, while in 2020, 106 animals were taken from the shelter. This large and dramatic increase in people’s interest in animals can be traced back to recent developments in the health care system. Animals help people cope with the loneliness that has become an integral part of the lives of the greater half of humanity trapped in their homes. 

What better way to cheer oneself up and get rid of a feeling of loneliness than a four-legged friend? The main explanation for this trend is that humans compensate for the lack of interaction with each other with animals. Social distancing and alienation of people these days have led to a massive desire to have a loyal friend. And, in particular, one such friend nowadays can definitely be an animal taken from an orphanage. Beyond loneliness, humanity is faced with an acute need to have a social life. Even doing a little good deed now and again makes people feel better and less alienated from society.

Hundreds of calls every day

The director of the association, Pierre Verdino, said that the shelter receives hundreds of calls every day and requests to take animals from the shelter. At the same time, members of the association are concerned about whether people are rushing their decisions and how carefully they weigh the decision to take the animals. Because people need to fully understand their responsibility and not do things in the heat of the moment.

Celine Gabriel, president of the Monegasque association Sauver protéger Soutenir les Animauх expressed her fears for the immediate future. She fears that people view the process of taking an animal from the shelter as akin to purchasing a toy, so she advises that we weigh the pros and cons well and understand the fact that the animals will be with us for many years.