Animal lovers in China have broken into homes to take care of the pets who have been abandoned by their owners. Around 50,000 pets have been left for their own good in Wuhan city, where Coronavirus originated. Some owners have sent volunteers to take care of the pets. One man said that he returned home to see his cat been buried alive while the house was being disinfected. Lao Mao, a volunteer said he saw two cats being wrapped under a sofa. He said that around 5,000 care still trapped and may die of starvation. Coronavirus Outbreak: Countries Ban China Arrivals as Virus Death Toll Hits 213.

Lao Mao, the volunteer was quoted as saying, "My conservative estimate is that around 5,000 are still trapped, and they may die of starvation in the coming days. The volunteers on our team, I included, have saved more than 1,000 pets since January 25. My phone never stops ringing these days. I barely sleep." Wuhan's mayor recently said that five million people left the city ahead of the Lunar New Year festive season. Coronavirus Outbreak: 'Hidden' Animal Spreading Deadly Chinese SARS Virus, Says Lancet Study.

Some returned home to find their pet cats lying dead. One man who arranged a housing management company to take care of the cat said that they entered his apartment and stuffed it into a plastic bag and buried it alive. However, the company said that they were disinfecting the home during a 'public health emergency response'. According to local media, the company said that they were following the country's Infectious Disease Control Act. Meanwhile, several animal rights group said that the number of pets abandoned in the past week rose significantly. In some regions, rumours spread that pets were spreading the virus. There were also reports that there was a spike in dog masks in some regions.

PETA Asia's media officer Keith Guo was quoted as saying, "The World Health Organization has issued a statement that there is no evidence that dogs and cats will be infected with the new coronavirus. Our enemies live in dirty industrial farms, slaughterhouses, and meat markets. If we can eat a vegan diet, we can avoid similar disasters that threaten the life and health of the public again in the future."

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Feb 03, 2020 09:09 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).