Since March 2020, animal adoption has been on the rise in Quebec. Some opted for a dog or a cat, but others went for an exotic animal. However, the number of dropouts has also increased.
Photo Agency QMI, Joël Lemay
“One of Éducazoo’s missions is of course to welcome these animals who are looking for a family, but it is also to raise awareness to prevent abandonment,” explains Joanie Asselin, owner and biologist at Éducazoo. We don’t want people not to adopt animals, we just want them to adopt the right animal that matches their lifestyle.”
Many individuals have turned to animals for companionship during the COVID-19 pandemic. However, during the gradual return to the norm with the gradual withdrawal of sanitary measures, and the drop in telework, some realized that they did not have enough time to devote to a pet, and therefore chose to part with it.
Joël Lemay / QMI Agency
“Our goal is not to keep them in habitat here, we like to take them out to meet people and introduce them,” says the biologist. “I think it is through awareness and discovery of these species that we develop the desire to protect them.”
Éducazoo is the only shelter in Quebec that is self-funded, which means that the last two years of the pandemic have been difficult for the shelter.
“I have an incredible team that got involved, we developed the virtual animation service and we got a lot of help from the public,” says Ms. Asselin. “We came out stronger.”
Daniel Mallard/QMI Agency
