Chinese throw cats and dogs from tower blocks after fake reports on coronavirus

Pet owners in China have reportedly started throwing their cats and dogs out of tower blocks after reports claimed that the deadly coronavirus can be passed on by animals.

Five cats which were most likely pets, discernible from their smooth and clean fur, were thrown to their death in Shanghai, locals said.

Heartbreaking pictures show bloody corpses of animals lying in the middle of the road in virus-hit China.

Another dog was found in Tianjin City in Hebei Province by disgusted families lying in a pool of its own blood on the ground, most likely tossed down from the upper floors of a tower block, according to media reports.

Sleeping locals awoken by the sound of the dog hitting the car said that it smashed into the roof of a car, which went off like a tire explosion, and then ended up on the ground.

The pet killings began after a Dr Li Lanjuan said, "If pets come into contact with suspected patients, they should be quarantined," on Chinese state TV.

Panic reigned following the publication of the fake news that quickly went viral on social media platform Weibo, which interpreted Lanjuan’s statement as "Cats and dogs can spread the coronavirus."

In order to stop false rumors spreading among terrified locals, China Global Television Network posted a quote saying, "There is no evidence showing that pets such as cats and dogs can contract the novel coronavirus, the World Health Organisation said on Wednesday.”

"We hope the police can find the cold-blooded guardians of those poor animals as soon as possible. In fact, it's the filthy factory farms, slaughterhouses, and meat markets that threaten the health of every human being on the planet by providing a breeding ground for deadly diseases like coronavirus, SARS, bird flu, and more," said Keith Guo, PETA Asia press officer for China.

The death toll in China from the novel coronavirus outbreak has climbed to 491, the country’s National Health Commission (NHC) said Tuesday.