Rescuing China's abandoned, trapped animals amid coronavirus outbreak

As China battles coronavirus outbreak, volunteers say they are struggling to keep up with the number of animals being abandoned amid evacuation.

Pet owners infected with the virus or ones who are caught up in quarantine cannot take their pets with them. And despite reassurance from the World Health Organization (WHO) that animals cannot carry the virus, many are being dumped.

"I have rescued lots of dogs this month, most have been abandoned by their owners," one volunteer from Furry Angels Heaven in Wuhan, the centre of the outbreak, told the BBC.

"One animal's owner has coronavirus and was sent to quarantine. Fortunately, a policeman sent her to me."

The volunteer, worried amid the graveness of the situation, said, "We are not allowed to go outside and I am afraid my dogs and cats will be out of food soon."

Without income from its regular paid work at the moment, she fears the animal centre's savings could be used up soon.

She added that she also worries that the police may kill all of the cats and dogs if they get infected with the virus.

More than 60 million people in Hubei province in China were put under lockdown after the Chines new year amid the worldwide outbreak of the novel coronavirus.

Many people went to visit family in other cities, leaving food behind for their pets thinking they would only be away for a few days. But as the days turned into months, pet owners under the lockdown started to panic as food for their beloved companion had ran out.

The panicked pet owners used social media site Weibo to plead for help.

"Help! I live in Ezhou City and my cat is trapped," wrote one woman from a town near Wuhan.

"I'm asking a caring person nearby to help me feed the cat. I am willing to pay for it, thank the caring person and everyone else, please share."

One volunteer, Lao Mao, is part of a group that provides assistance to people who cannot access their animals. So far his group has helped to rescue more than 1,000 pets.

"There are more animals needing help these days," he told the BBC.

"So many of them have starved to death, only a few of them can reach me for help. There's nothing much I can do but I will save as many as I can."

It's not just animal rescuers in Wuhan that are feeling the strain. Animal groups across China said they were struggling to deal with the current situation and strict quarantine measures.

"It is high season during Chinese New Year which means a lot of dogs are kicked out and due to coronavirus, a lot of flights have been cancelled. We now have over 350 dogs for a place sized for 120," said, Nana, who works at the shelter. "We are really desperate."

An experienced rescuer in Shenzhen who did not want to give her name also said Chinese New Year was a busy time of year for animal abandonments, but that she has never encountered one every single day.

"Businesses are closed so there is no-one to feed the strays. It started being very common to see roaming cats and dogs and hear them fighting and barking and meowing much more than usual."

She said at one point, she saw a partially eaten mother dog with her puppies still around her.

But she said that as the situation has intensified, volunteers have joined forces like never before to handle the amount of animals in need.

"Community support has been really heart-warming, many people help, volunteer, support and share or decide to adopt or foster.

"Both Chinese people and foreigners have united to help each other help animals."

As soon as the lockdown is over, the animals will be available for adoption