Unfortunately, this holiday period is conducive to animal abandonment, and it’s not just cats and dogs that are affected.
At “Help Animal”, it is not uncommon to come across exotic animals, such as these Vietnamese pigs. “The concern is that it’s a fad on the internet, little pigs running around. The concern is that it’s growing, it takes up a lot of space and time casually, so people find themselves a little bit deprived”, explains Axelle, a healer.
On average, 165 animals are abandoned every day in Belgium. Dropouts increasingly linked to financial problems. “This year, we are constantly being called for care. We have people who are overwhelmed by financial difficulties, and who have to abandon their animals” observed Fabrizio Follaccio, director of Help Animal.
There are also more and more seizures for abuse or neglect, such as a mare, recently arrived at the shelter, who was left without water or food in her pasture.
