Scientists fear a deadly new strain of Covid-19 brought into Britain by a cat from Cyprus could cause a major outbreak after it is said to have killed around 8,000 felines on the Mediterranean island
Share
At a cat sanctuary set in picturesque hills, volunteers are grappling with a surge in abandonments they blame on the coronavirus pandemic. AFP
Cyprus cats out in the cold as pandemic bites
Thu, 21 January 2021
At a cat sanctuary set in picturesque hills near Paphos, on the Mediterranean island of Cyprus, volunteers are grappling with a surge in abandonments they blame on the coronavirus pandemic.
“There has been an increase of about 30 per cent of previously owned, loved [and] looked-after cats that have been left behind” as people depart the island, lamented Dawn Foote, 48, who runs the Tala Cats rescue centre.
January 21, 2021
TALA, CYPRUS (AFP) – At a cat sanctuary set in picturesque hills near Paphos, on the Mediterranean island of Cyprus, volunteers are grappling with a surge in abandonments they blame on the coronavirus pandemic.
“There has been an increase of about 30 per cent of previously owned, loved (and) looked-after cats that have been left behind” as people depart the island, lamented Dawn Foote, 48, who runs the Tala Cats rescue centre.
Some among Cyprus’ large expatriate and dual resident communities have retreated home as the economic squeeze has tightened, she noted.
“People, at the moment, have just got no money, and it’s expensive to get a cat to another country – you’ve got passports to pay for, you’ve got transport carriers to pay,” Foote said.