WAP partners with Rio Olympics to keep city animals safe

New Delhi: A global animal welfare organisation Thursday said it will partner with Rio 2016 Olympic and Paralympic Games to keep the city's animals safe in the run up to and during the event.

"We hope that the Rio 2016 Games will set an example for other major sporting events because the joy and celebrations of the events can cause much distress for animals of the organising city," said Gajender K Sharma, India Country Director at World Animal Protection.

It said that many animals including dogs, cats, cattle, pigs, horses, opossums and birds live close to the venues who need to be protected for the duration of the games.

World Animal Protection is training Olympic operational teams to correctly handle animals, offering guidelines on responsible pet ownership for the communities of Rio de Janeiro and organising adoption campaigns for dogs and cats in partnership with Special Secretariat for the Defense of Animals (SEPDA).

"We are proud to be working with the Rio 2016 Organising Committee to make sure the animals across Rio are safe, and the owners of animals feel confident they can keep them safe and well," said Rosangela Ribeiro, Veterinary Program Manager at World Animal Protection.

Working together with the Rio 2016 Organising Committee, World Animal Protection will carry out community awareness raising events about the importance of keeping domestic animals safe at home during the competitions, especially street competitions, such as road cycle racing.