Amid the coronavirus pandemic, people have been showing compassion and trying to help one another.

Whether that be making personal protective equipment for medical frontliners, hawkers providing free meals, and farmers distributing their produce for people in need.

But instead of protecting our furry friends, there has been a spike in cases of irresponsible owners abandoning their pets amidst Malaysia's Movement Control Order (MCO).

According to the Malaysia Animal Association (MAA), it's about triple the usual amount.

"Usually, there's always five dogs in that area, but last night the amount has increased to 18 to 20 dogs, at least three times than usual," MAA President Arie Dwi Andika said to Bernama. "All of these abandoned dogs are in good health and clean."

He also added that the dogs are friendly and not aggressive at all.

Many of these abandoned animals were left at remote industrial and non-residential areas, possibly to avoid suspicions from neighbors.

Arie suspects that many of these animals were abandoned by pet owners who feared contracting the novel coronavirus, also known as COVID-19, from their pets or were unable to care for them after losing their source of income due to the MCO.

The World Health Organization (WHO) has refuted the myth, saying that it's extremely unlikely that people can catch COVID-19 from their pets.

But it seems people are not listening and are acting based on fear rather than logic.

“Where did the love (for their pets) go? What is the fate for these dogs and cats who have considered their owners as family members and as their homes now that they've been abandoned?" Arie questioned.

You can be charged and fined for animal cruelty in Malaysia.

Pet owners can be charged under Section 29 of the Malaysian Animal Welfare Act 2015 for neglecting the health and needs of their pets.

According to AskLegal.My, these pet owners can be fined any amount between RM20,000 and RM100,000 and be sentenced to prison for up to three years, upon conviction.

If you'd like to assist the MAA in helping abandoned animals, you can get in contact with them through their Facebook page here.

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Cover image sourced from Malaysia Animal Association.