In order to prevent and control the spread of the new coronavirus, closure and isolation policies have been implemented in many places around the world. People are forced to go to work and attend classes remotely, leaving more time at home. How to spend free time? Pets have become the choice of many people.
Getting along with and playing with pets fills in the emptiness and loneliness of being unable to go out to party and entertain, and the anxiety caused by the uncertainty of the epidemic is also relieved by the companion of pets. It can be said that the companionship of pets brings a “placebo” to the physical and mental health of people in the epidemic.
A survey by Banfield Pet Hospital in the United States shows that working with pets can create happiness for people during the epidemic. Pets create a decompression environment and make people more positive.
According to a survey report released by Washington State University in June last year, the vast majority of respondents said that pet dogs can effectively alleviate their feelings of depression, anxiety and loneliness. “In terms of anxiety, fear and social connection, pets really support the human world.” said Jennifer Colin-Mculloch, assistant professor of psychology at the University of Colorado.
What if people who don’t have pets want to have fun with all kinds of pets like cats and dogs? The Internet platform provides an opportunity for “cloud beating”.
In China, where the Internet platform is developed, “Yun Lian Chong” has become one of the hobbies of young people in their leisure time. According to the “2020 Kuaishou Pet Ecological Report”, the highest single-day playback volume of Kuaishou pet short videos reaches 700 million. In the first half of last year, when the epidemic was most anxious, Kuaishou had a pet live broadcast every 5.4 seconds. The number of pet viewers exceeded 100 million, and the number of active pet authors reached 75,000. Taobao’s “Taobao Economic Warmth” released last year also showed that the number of live pet live broadcasts on Taobao in February increased by 375% year-on-year, and 1 million people watch pets on Taobao live broadcast every day.
The “Internet + pets” model has also stimulated the innovation and development of the pet industry. During the “June 18” promotion in 2020, a Douyin pet anchor partnered with pet vertical e-commerce for live broadcast, creating 2.08 million live broadcast income.
It can be seen that people’s emotional dependence on pets has directly contributed to the explosive growth of the pet industry. The pet industry is showing a trend of “countercurrent” in the global downturn. According to statistics, the United States, the world’s largest pet market, accounts for 68% of households with pets. During the COVID-19 pandemic, the number of pets purchased and adopted by American households has increased significantly, and the number of pet adoptions has reached a historical peak. A related data from the pet non-profit organization “Sanctuary Animal Count” shows that after the outbreak of the new crown epidemic, the adoption rate of pets in the United States has soared by 34%.
However, behind the “pet fever” brought about by the epidemic, there are still some controversial issues. During the epidemic, pets were abandoned and killed in many places. Does pet have the ability to spread the virus? How to deal with the relationship between the epidemic and pets? A series of questions are still waiting for people to think.
