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The pandemic
has taken an immense psychological toll on all of us.
Unfortunately, for some individuals, this sense of
powerlessness, frustration, and rage has translated to
violence and abuse — both against people and pets. Rates of
animal cruelty are skyrocketing in the U.S. In one area of the
country, Washington state's King County, home of Seattle,
prosecutors are horrified by what they've seen. In 2020, the
number of animal cruelty cases they've filed has jumped 150%
compared with the previous two years. One official says the incidents of horrific
animal neglect and abuse she's seen during the pandemic are
worse than anything else from her entire 20-year-long
career.
Cats being tied up to bikes and
dragged along pavement, or in some cases drowned; dogs being
strangled with wire or asphyxiated with duct tape. In one
case, an animal shelter saved upwards of 220 pets from a home
filled with countless other dead animals. All these
officials agree on one thing: the increased stress and fear
caused by a deadly pandemic outside has created so much
pressure, people can no longer cope. As mental health
deteriorates at unprecedented rates across the world, people's
anxiety and anger is only going to get worse. The
answer is clear: we need urgent mental health care for humans,
now. Tell members of Congress that they must include
extensive mental health provisions in the next round of relief
funding!
Thank you,
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Miranda
B.
The Care2 Petitions Team |
P.S. To save
our animal friends, we have to get humans the mental health
assistance they need. Demand that Congress include massive funding for
mental health services in the next COVID-19 stimulus
package! |
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