While France has been confined for almost a month to fight against the coronavirus, there is one sector which is also badly affected by this measure: associations collecting abandoned animals. In fact, the SPA is worried about seeing their proteges staying in their centers if no one can go there to adopt them. The 53 shelters which had 4,300 animals in mid-March, now have 5,500 for a total capacity of 6,500 which is therefore soon reached.
>> LIVE - Follow the situation on Saturday April 11
Jean-Charles Fombonne, president of the SPA sounds the alarm. "We have about 1,000 vacancies left knowing that I fear that the epidemic is hitting my staff and my volunteers and that we will be forced to close some of our shelters. And therefore to repatriate our animals to the few vacant places that we have kept, "he worries at the microphone of Europe 1.
CORONAVIRUS ESSENTIALS
> How long are healthy carriers contagious?
> What are the side effects of chloroquine?
> Adulterated tests, false calls for donations ...: watch out for scams linked to the coronavirus
> Reading, board games ... How to stimulate your brain during confinement?
> How to avoid gaining pounds during confinement?
For their part, the impoundments continue to bring them stray or abandoned dogs and cats. In total, 45,000 the SPA collects each year. "The difficulty is that the flow is interrupted by confinement. We collect these animals but as we cannot give them for adoption, we keep them and of course our refuges fill up", deplores Jean-Charles Fombonne.