The provincial government will be providing monetary assistance to animal shelters and animal care facilities in need during the COVID-19 pandemic.
According to the Ministry of Agriculture, multiple animal attractions and care facilities including those operated by the BC SPCA have been forced to close in an effort to minimize the risk of COVID-19 transmission in the province.
“Facilities have been reporting a dramatic decrease in the donation of food, supplies and volunteers, and have been unable to hold fundraisers that support feeding their animals,” says the Ministry.
The province will work with animal care facility operators to find out which places require emergency funding.
These finances will be available to support animal hygiene, habitat upkeep, veterinarian care, limited transportation, and repairs to equipment required to ensure the welfare of the animals in care.
Money will be provided to a variety of animal care facilities including shelters, BC SPCA facilities, zoos, and aquariums, to ensure that animals in care have the food and medicine they need.
Animal refuges and rehabilitation centres that need revenue to make sure their animals are not in distress also qualify for this funding.
No information is currently available on how much total funding has been allocated for these purposes.
