Mason, a 30-year-old male chimpanzee, is weighed down by loneliness. The resident of the Mysuru zoo loves human company and the presence of visitors kept him entertained all these years. The pandemic and the subsequent lockdowns and restrictions have taken away Mason’s human visitors and he is not liking it.
Today, the zoo officials are making sure that Mason is in good spirits. “The staff members and I pass through Mason’s enclosure regularly. We wave at him and talk to him. During this time, it is very important to engage animals mentally and physically,” said Ajith Kulkarni, director of the zoo.
Zoos across the country are seeing lesser human-animal interactions, raising concerns about the mental health of captive animals.
Recently, Thelonious Herrmann, a pianist, performed for animals at a zoo in Cologne, Germany. A similar musical performance was also held at the zoo in Cali, Columbia. It is not clear if such performances have had any effect on animals, but attempting a similar feat in India may attract prosecution. “It is not possible here,” said M.A. Hakeem, deputy director of Hyderabad’s zoo, “Playing music is illegal under Wildlife Protection Act, 1972.”
The pandemic has even had its effects on pets; in fact, the impact has been more severe on them. Rebecca Robert, a young animal behaviourist from Civil Lines, Delhi, has her hands full with her three guard dogs. “Whenever an aggressive dog comes to attack me, they protect me,” she said. Rebecca is handling cases of unusual and extreme aggression in pets and she, too, blames the pandemic for it.
Rebecca told us about a young German Shepherd, who exhibited strange behaviour and bit 11 people, including the owners. “German Shepherds are very loyal and can die for their owners. It was shocking to see this kind of behaviour,” she said. Rebecca said that due to lockdowns, the owners failed to take the dog for regular walks or give it proper attention, and this affected its nature.
In yet another instance, Rebecca received a call from a family which wanted her to attend to an Old English Mastiff, which was not keeping well. “The dog requires 4kg of chicken a day,” she said. “The family could not afford it as they were going through financial distress and were even ready to abandon it. When I went to the place, I could see the bones of the dog and had to bring it to the centre and nurture it back to health.”
Rebecca said the dog had developed a number of psychological disorders due to starvation.
“Some owners abandoned their pets near highways, parks and hospitals due to the fear that they can transfer the virus,” said Dr Keshav Srinivas of Vet n Pet clinics, Hyderabad, “We had to conduct campaigns to create awareness that the virus doesn’t spread that way.”
During the pandemic, many pet owners have had to go the extra mile to make sure their pets get regular exercise, proper feed and affection.
Bengaluru-based student, Heena Hussain, had a tough time dealing with her Golden Retriever, who changed from being “friendly” to “always growling”. “Never give up on your pets,” said Heena, “My parents were frustrated with my dog at one point. Even if the situation is difficult, treat pets with love and try to play with them. They will get better.”